Forever the Fallen Fan
by Satchelle
Summary: Things just get crazier with new characters, new challenges and non-stop action. Will L and Sydney get together? Will Light get a shoe up his butt? Will Misa get some screen time? Will the fated shower scene EVER be written? SO if you've grown old reading the first 49 chapters and want to finish what you started WELCOME, here's some jello! Let's get complicated! LxOC
1. What's My Name?

**Chapter 50**

 **What's My Name?**

 **SYDNEY**

I walked for a really long time.

I had no particular direction in mind. I didn't have anywhere to be, I just knew I needed to get away - far away.

So I limped along, arms hanging at my sides, and the world just seemed to turn around me. It was like I was at the centre of a spinning top. I felt sick and dizzy, but if I stopped moving the world would fall over.

One more step. One more step. One more step.

No matter what street I took or how far I went I couldn't seem to escape the tall, looming skyscraper L had cast me out of. It's roof was always just visible around every corner. Like an unblinking eye, following me around.

L sat at the top of the eye, what if he could see me? A tiny ant among other tiny ants. Is that what he thought of people, I wondered briefly.

Then tried not to wonder.

Forget about him.

The cold morning turned into a misty shower, and people transformed into black umbrellas.

I barely noticed, and let the water slowly dampen my hair and clothes, leaving little drops on my arms and down the back of my neck.

Every so often a flash of red eyes would pass through my mind, or a splash of blood, or the glint of a knife, and my shoulders would jerk in opposite directions, trying to shake it off.

A rogue umbrella bumped into me and my limp leg gave out. I tripped over the curb into a gutter of grey water. My hand flung out to brace myself and on impact a shudder travelled up my wrist and jarred my teeth.

The umbrella muttered apologies and hurried along.

I sat back on the curb, sneakers soaked, and covered my face with one hand. _What am I doing?_ I thought, tiredly.

Yellow headlights glinted between the raindrops and glared past my fingers, a horn honked.

A kinder umbrella bent over to ask if I was alright.

I watched a discarded wrapper slowly glide down the makeshift river next to the curb and disappear down a steel drain.

 _I wished I could disappear too,_ I sighed. Instead I was broken and thrown away, left out in the open for everyone to stare at.

The horn yelled at me again.

 _What is wrong with me?_

But no one answered.

"What is wrong with me?" This time I said it out loud, more to the sky than anything else.

It merely looked down on me with quiet judgement.

Just like L in his tower.

Another memory, sharp and painful, momentarily blinded me. I ground the heel of my palm between my eyes, trying to drive it out. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

The kind umbrella started asking if I had hit my head. Did I needed an ambulance? How about a blanket? Injured people always needed blankets wrapped snugly around them, didn't they?

The horn honked, long and loud. But I didn't hear it. I just heard the echo of BB cackling at me. 'I got you, I got you.' He taunted. 'And I didn't need to kill you to do it. You're all twisted up. I win! I win! Hahahaha!'

Suddenly, I jumped to my feet, startling the herd of umbrellas that had gathered in concern.

I hit the pavement at a breakneck run. _Faster, faster!_ I turned a corner, then another. The world was a blur. But the nightmares followed, dancing up and down behind me.

I crashed into someone square on.

We both fell in a tangle of limbs and apologies. He was a portly man with round glasses and a rain-poncho. He nodded at me over and over and then hurried on his way.

My legs sprawled out, chest heaving up and down, I noticed his wallet had fallen open by my knee.

I grabbed it and stood up. "Hey! You forgot your-"

The words fell from my mouth unfinished. The man was already gone.

My thumb rubbed the fabric familiarly. My body was trembling, but my hands moved smoothly, fluidly. They remembered what to do. I didn't think about it. It was instinct.

I opened the wallet and expertly flipped the cash out, the paper rough and colourful. I quickly scanned and palmed one of the credit cards as well, committing the numbers to memory already.

And for five seconds, I felt like me again.

Tokyo stopped spinning. The buildings were different, so were the people. But one thing never changed.

The pockets.

 **L**

After the girl had gone, Watari stepped out from his place in the shadowy hall of the hotel room, hands held stately behind his back. His three-piece suit crisp and pressed. "Was that cruelty completely necessary, sir?"

L rummaged two long fingers in a jar of identical sugar gummies, finally found the perfect one, and plopped it in his mouth. "Whatever do you mean, Watari?" He asked, cheek bulging.

"I realize it was a long time ago, but I thought since Madame Renaux you learned to be a bit more ... _tactful_ ... with women.

L paused, swallowed, then looked sideways slowly from behind his bangs back at Watari.

Watari stiffened. It was not an expression he was used to receiving from L.

"Ambrosine has nothing to do with this." L said quietly.

Watari bowed his head and gently closed his eyes. "Of course, sir. I just thought..."

"You thought wrong." L interrupted.

"Sorry, sir. That was indelicate of me." Watari looked like he had more to say. "It is just ... it has been many years since I've seen you so relaxed since ... she who will not be named."

L gave Watari a look that said he did not appreciate the old man's sense of humour.

Watari's small, teasing smile quickly disappeared behind his moustache. "Ahem. I apologize if I am crossing a line but Miss Krispy seemed ... well, good for you." He said with an innocent shrug. "Different than the ... other one."

"All part of the case," L responded, returning his attention to the jar of gummies. "A simple but ultimately pointless ruse. The Krispy girl," he stopped, mildly irritated. "I really do need a different code name for her, something more professional." He mumbled.

"Would you like a list of suggestions, sir?"

L said no with two quick waves of his hands. "As I was saying, the girl is just a runaway." He glanced over. "Unless there is something you are neglecting to tell me, old friend?"

Another tense silence.

Watari cleared his throat. "I have done my best to fill in the gaps of your missing memory, sir. Though ... She does have a deep history with Beyond. As you've already deduced."

L, either on accident or purpose, tipped the jar of gummies over. They tumbled out like dice on the floor. "Yes, but not relevant, now that he is..." He inhaled sharply, cold air on his tongue. "Now that he is gone."

Watari blinked, sad and slow. "Yes. Speaking of, would you like to know where he is buried?"

L arched his knee in the air and carefully nudged a gummy on the floor with his toe. "No. Although the Americans want his body extricated for his crimes in Los Angeles."

"They are welcome to spend years on paperwork and due process." Watari said solemnly.

L was silent for a moment. "Are you angry with me, for what I did? For killing him?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Watari's face was dark, except his glasses, their white reflection hiding his eyes. "...No. He was a monster."

L turned away and distracted himself by attempting to pick up a gummy between his toes. He always knew when Watari was lying.

"And monster's should be slain, should they not?"

The gummy squeezed out of his grip and fell out of reach. L ran his tongue along his top molars. Sometimes he wondered why Watari insisted on all the 'sir' business. It was very clear who had the real power in their relationship.

"Beyond was not a monster, Watari. He was just a man ... as is Kira. Justice will find a way. I ... I will find a way."

He said so with such conviction that even the greatest skeptic in the world would have nodded along in agreement. It was simply fact to L. Good triumphed over evil.

Watari bowed his head. "Of course, sir. You always do."

L looked up at the ceiling. "Penny." He half-whispered.

"Pardon, sir?"

L's gaze looked far away. "I think I'll call her ... Penny."

"Very good, sir. I will change the code name in her file. Any particular reason for that name?"

"Not at all."

 **SYDNEY**

Twirling, spinning, dancing.

Slip here, between there, tap the shoulder, nudge the hip. Trip forward, stumble to the side, lean back. Brief smile, apology, head down. Move on.

Next one.

Another.

And another.

The movement came back so naturally, it was like learning how to breath again.

I was waltzing through the crowd, wings on my feet, lighter than air.

My dancing had lulled the bad memories to sleep, no red eyes peered at me from doorways, I didn't smell burning or blood, only crisp paper. Beautiful paper. My footsteps were like a beat to a melody I had almost forgotten.

I was in my element.

I didn't stop until my pockets were fat with cash and I had a string of credit cards up both sleeves. By then the rain was gone and stars hung over my head, glittering in the black reflections of wet puddles on concrete, I wished I could steal them too.

Now, I thought, out of breath. What to spend it on?

My stillness signaled the nightmares return, grasping for my attention, a buzzing sound creeping back into my ear.

Can't stop. _Don't think about it._ Can't stop.

I swung into the nearest designer clothing store, a small hallway-sized space with a gold-trim window display and a tall ceiling, hanging from it were two crystal chandeliers. The first intended to provide warm lighting, the second to accentuate the expensiveness of the first.

After all, nobody _needs_ two chandeliers.

Immediately a short-haired saleswoman appeared like magic in front of me, wearing a pantsuit and a forced smile. She was pressing her teeth together so hard I could hear the _CREAK._

"Can I help you?" She asked through said teeth while simultaneously gesturing to the door for me to leave.

A little smile crept on my face and nested there. This was familiar too. _Off with the riff-raff, wot-wot!_ To be fair to her, I did look like a crazy homeless person.

But my smile was the kind that knew something hers did not.

When I pulled out my cash and started fanning my face, her eyes shot to it as if magnetized. Now her smile was big and sparkly, and two more sales people transported to her side (the only thing missing were puffs of cartoon smoke).

 _They hopped to quick, wot wot._ And after much fussing and offerings and presenting of goods I emerged from the store draped in a gigantic fur coat, wearing a shimmery pearl dress, leopard-print sunglasses and strappy sandals made from leather of a sacrificial virgin cow for the shoe gods (I assume, based on its deliciously outrageous price).

When the door shut behind me, I stopped short.

 _Blood, an ocean of it, climbed up through the cracks in the sidewalk and began pooling around my ankles. It was thick and warm. So real I could smell it. A metallic tang that tickled my nose._

I blinked and the blood was gone.

The cold air played around my bare legs, I pulled my coat a little tighter, but even when warm my hands wouldn't stop shaking.

I visited a salon next and got a mani-pedi spa treatment where tiny fish ate the dead skin off my feet, my hair washed and trimmed and man-handled into a dazzling up-do.

A woman approached me with a tray of champagne flutes. "Would you care for a beverage?" She asked with a tiny bow.

I shook my head. I was no longer against it, but I _was_ underage, and the last time I drank it didn't go so well.

I and stopped to admire my hair in the mirror, it had never looked so soft.

My smile waned.

 _Mikal was back. He stood behind me, hand on my shoulder, closer than ever. Except this time he wore a hospital gown, his skin was grey in death, his lips icy blue._

I whipped around and reached for the champagne. I hesitated for half a second. Then downed the entire thing.

It was sweet, and bubbly, and the hairs standing up on my arms after seeing Mikal started to relax. I still avoided looking into any mirrors, though.

My next stop was a jewelry store. It was a really strange feeling entering one during the day. It looked different with the lights on, and I kept having this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I had forgotten to disable the alarm.

This time the merchants welcomed me immediately. I looked high end now. There was a gaggle of interestingly dressed people. They were young, one man had his hair dyed blue, the woman draped on his arm was chewing gum and wearing fishnets. The rest were scattered between looking like socialites or grungy pop stars.

They were loud and rambunctious, but clearly had lots of spending money as the sales manager was gladly putting up with them.

When I flashed a gold credit card this store also offered me a complimentary sangria. I sipped it while trying on a handful of necklaces, diamonds and gemstones of all colours, couldn't decide, then bought them all.

Normally, I would have to convince people I was the owner of said credit card. But when you walk in with a designer mink fur coat and the hair of a movie star, people don't really question you.

When I tried on the tiara, the gaggle of strangely dressed people took notice. They started whispering and looking my way.

When I BOUGHT the tiara and wore it out of the store (along with a multitude of silver bangles), they followed me out.

"Who _are_ you, darling?" One asked, feathers in her hair, chewing on a false nail.

"Yes," the blue-haired man chimed in, rubbing his thin moustache thoughtfully. "You look very familiar. Are you visiting Japan?"

 _I was on TV after being wrongly accused of murder once._ I thought.

My favourite part of any scam was pretending to be somebody else. Perhaps because it wasn't fun being me.

 _Especially lately._

I'd been playing the role of jilted fangirl, or injured victim for too long. Time for a change.

"I'm Ellanor. Ellanor Krispois. Canadian." I said in the smoothest, fanciest, I'm-better-than-you voice I could muster, with a I'm-too-rich-for-you raise of an eyebrow. "I'm sure you've heard of me, I invented GoPro."

"...I thought that was Nick Woodman?"

I didn't even pause.

I gently touched my chest and laughed. "Oh, Nick. He loves to take credit for things." I leaned in close and lowered my voice. "I drew up the schematics in bed at a B&B in Vermont, after we - well, I can't tell you _that_." Another laugh. "I own 40 percent shares. He calls me from time to time to go over business matters. But I'm a free spirit. Board rooms should be called _boring_ rooms, you know?"

This time _they_ laughed with me.

 _Got you_.

"Now, tell me, what's the most expensive, _thrilling_ thing we can do in the next five minutes?"

 **LIGHT**

 _This is a problem._

Light sat inside his university classroom, gripping his pencil tightly. It was an afternoon class, the deep orange sun was already going down behind the city skyline.

He wasn't listening to anything the professor said. He already knew the course by heart anyways, he was just attending to appease his father's wishes.

That idiot girl had some crazy person after her, then has some kind of shoot-out on a rooftop. _If only L had died._ He thought wistfully. But no, L comes out a hero, as usual. The man after Sydney _must_ have been the same one who killed those two men in the alley. _Figures._ Her irritating face would drive anyone insane. And she dragged L into it.

Now he has some kind of amnesia.

 _Or he's faking. Drawing me into a false sense of security. It's exactly the sort of nonsense he'd try._

Either way, Light knew he was in serious trouble.

L still suspected him, even without that stupid Canadian whispering in his ear. He documented all their encounters. And if he really didn't remember her, than she was utterly useless now.

Before he could have used her against L. But if she didn't matter to him…

 _At least he didn't remove me from the investigation._

Light had gone to Aoyama with Matsuda in search of the Kira copycat, but had found nothing. _A complete waste of time._

He had hoped that when the second Kira demanded L show his face on television it would mean L's death and his victory, but Light knew L would never comply. _He isn't as noble as he pretends to be._

Everything is going wrong.

And worse. Sydney knew his secret. And she had some weird relationship with the Shinigami. He _had_ to get rid of her. But he couldn't kill her with the Death Note!

Light's pencil snapped in half.

He blinked. One of his classmates was giving him a weird look.

"Whoops." He said calmly, and pulled another pencil from his pack.

The student looked away.

His expression instantly darkened again. _I have to find a way to get rid of her without arousing suspicion._ _There can be no trace back to me, or it will only confirm L's theory._

 _But the longer she lives, the more dangerous she'll be._

He placed his hand on his forehead, staring daggers at the blank page on his desk through his shaking fingers.

 _She has to die!_

From the back of the classroom, behind Light's shoulder, Ryuk floated calmly, expectantly.

Waiting.

 **SYDNEY**

We ended up going to karaoke at the most exclusive club in the city. There was a line down the street to get in, but the bouncer opened the door for us right away when I palmed him a very large bank note.

It was a building full of white lights and purple carpet and dark rooms full of people smoking. Oh, and lots of sparkling wines.

I sang loudly and off key, I was surprised there were so many English songs I knew. I picked _Bad Reputation_ by Joan Jett and got a standing ovation. But I was too dizzy and my insides too swimmy to remember why singing it gave me deja vu.

As the day turned into night more and more people showed up, drawn to the magnetic energy that floats around interesting people with lots of money.

Everyone showered me in compliments - I learned it was easy to make friends when you paid for everything.

The blue haired man with the terribly grown moustache was a guitar player for some popular punk band. One of the women danced in music videos. Some of the others did make-up for movie stars or worked at maid cafes. Lots of selfies were taken. Someone posted #KrazyKrispois. Another mentioned our party was trending because a celebrity retweeted it.

"I don't have twitter!" I shouted over the noise.

The room freaked out and three people immediately set up an account in my false name. I just ignored them and asked for more wine.

A song was playing when the television _fizzed._

 _The lyric video snapped out of existence and was replaced with BB, grinning, a red hole in the middle of his chest. He was holding a strawberry between his teeth. He bit down and red juice dripped down his chin. "You let him kill me. You're a murderer. A murderer. A murde-"_

I jumped to my feet. "Hey! Where's the hottest restaurant? Let's take this party on the road!"

Everyone cheered and hooted.

I swayed back and forth, the floor was tipping like a boat at sea. _Don't think about it._

 **L**

L was stirring at but not drinking his sixth cup of coffee. He was reviewing the alternate Kira tapes, looking for anything he might have missed. Now his eyes hurt.

A small notification popped up in the corner of his screen. He wrapped one arm around his legs, which were bent at the knees up against his chest, and clicked the mouse with one finger.

A video opened of Kris... _Penny_ , singing karaoke (and terribly). He almost didn't recognize her, she was dressed completely different, wearing what looked like a genuine Van Cleef & Arpels tiara (which was crooked) and a fur coat she nearly drowned in.

" _A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do! And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation!"_ She yelled into the mike, the glass of wine she held in her hand sloshed as she nearly fell off the platform.

He experienced a slight deja vu from the music, but quickly dismissed it. He found trying to recall his memories gave him a headache.

He clicked again. Another video of the group go-karting the streets of Tokyo. She was cheering with her hands in the air.

Then another backstage at a concert, she was sparkling in front of a famous band dressed in black leather. Then she was pulled on stage and tried her hand at playing electric guitar in front of a packed stadium.

Another of her standing up through the sun roof in a limousine, arms spread as they drove past neon lights, shouting "I'm queen of the wooooooorld!"

The rest of her simply being charming, easy-going, and throwing cash at people like confetti at a parade.

There were tweets and tagged photos online.

" _Best night of my life! This girl is fearless! #KrazyKrispois"_

" _Nick Woodhouse eat your heart out. #KrazyKrispois is lit!"_

" _#KrazyKrispois please marry me!"_

Then there were the less positive ones.

" _Is that a real fur coat? #KrazyKrispois is a mink killer! #SomebodytellPETA_

" _How dare #KrazyKrispois hang out with YUTA! He's mine! She's not even a real fan!"_

" _OMG! #KrazyKrispois was totally wanted for murder! Look at this news report from a few months ago in Japan #KrazyKrispois #Whoiskira"_

L closed the tabs slowly and deliberately.

He briefly wondered how Penny knew the creator of GoPro, why she was wearing 800,000 Yen worth of jewelry and clothes, and how she had turned into an internet sensation in less than a day.

The memory of him offering her charity crawled into his mind.

He stared down into his cup of coffee, the _KIRA_ tapes sounded muffled in the background. He was sitting on the bare floor, alone.

Suddenly the room felt very big.

And he very small.

 **AIZAWA**

"Yes. Table for two. I am supposed to be meeting someone. Under the name Aizawa."

The waiter nodded and gestured grandly. "Of course, this way. I am afraid you are the first to arrive."

Aizawa adjusted his bright green tie, which he found too tight and a bit itchy. But Eriko had bought it for him for their fourth anniversary, so it was a small sacrifice. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and was recently shaven.

The waiter guided him through the extravagant restaurant, with crystal tables, blue lights and orchid centerpieces floating in bowls of water.

He sat down, adjusted his chair, and ordered the wine the waiter recommended (he didn't know a good wine from a bad, more of a beer person himself, although he heavily suspected he was conned into the most expensive one).

Other well-dressed people with high-priced haircuts chit chatted and laughed daintily to each other. He tried to ignore the old men with obvious escorts. He was off the clock. A group of girls giggled and leaned close together, using a selfie-stick to take a photo.

Aizawa shuffled in his chair. He felt squarely out of place.

His cellphone rang.

A little confused, not expecting a call, he answered. "Hello?" ... "Oh. The babysitter cancelled?" ... "No, it's alright, I have a lot of work anyways." ... "Yeah, I haven't even left the office yet." ... "Don't worry about it." ... "Love you too."

He hung up just as the waiter returned with a bottle of chilled wine. He sighed. "You married?" He asked.

The waiter smiled. "No."

"So that explains why you look so damn happy."

"Err ... dinner for one then, is it?"

"No, I'll just go," he started to stand up, when Aizawa noticed he wasn't the only one who looked out of place.

Across the room, in a corner table, was the Krispy girl.

She had huge platters of food surrounding her, a pack of violinists playing her songs by candlelight, and a napkin tucked into her dress- which must have been a good call, because she was eating through her meals like a wrecking ball.

Sitting around her were a group of people dressed very avante garde. ' _Eriko has to stop watching those fashion shows, I should not know what avante garde means'._ Some were sitting on each other's laps, making out with each other. The rest were slumped, asleep and snoring, and one man with greasy blue hair was trying to teach a girl with too much _ganguro_ make-up ' _Soccer, I should be watching soccer'_ how to play guitar.

"What the...?" Aizawa, still holding his (now slightly droopy) flowers, walked over. "Miss Krispy? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, man." The guitar player held his hand up. "It's Kris _pois_."

She paused, fingers stuffed in a bowl of tempura shrimp. Crumbs tumbled from her mouth. "Oh, iff's fwew." She said, mouth full.

Aizawa pulled up a chair, much to the annoyance of the guitar player. "You look really good." He grinned earnestly. "Last time I saw you I thought you were a gonner."

She swallowed. "Not my fault. You never visited me...after." Then tackled a plate of top of the line kobi beef strips, dipping them shamelessly in leftover shrimp sauce, not even bothering with utensils.

Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck, a guilty sensation washing over him. "Sorry about that. Ryuzaki kind of...he had his reasons."

"I didn't realize you did what HE tells you to do, Aizawa." She sniffed.

He felt taken aback. She sounded a lot colder than usual. He then noticed the big fur coat, large diamond necklace she wore, that didn't go with her plain clothes at all. Big sapphire earrings dripped down to her shoulders, and a tiara was placed on her head, lopsided.

Then there was the mountain of shopping bags piled at her feet with unopened designer labels.

"Did you...get a job or something?"

"Something like that." She paused, as if she was listening to someone, then giggled.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're okay?"

She grabbed a large wine glass and took a huge gulp. She burped. "Does it matter?" She asked, so cheerfully it was almost creepy. "I can talk to whoever I want to. I can talk to this-this breadstick if I wanted to." She held it up, shaking it at him. "Who is my new best friend, since you've all decided to pretend I don't exist." She raised her nose in the air and took another, very deep, swallow of wine.

One of the girls stopped kissing a bleach-blonde boy. "I thought we were your new best friends."

Ella looked startled, as if she had forgotten the gaggle of people attached to her at the hip. "Oh, you are." She reassured. "And," she solemnly placed the breadstick on the table and stared at it. "This breadstick. I think I'll call him...Vincent."

The girl giggled. "You're so funny, Krispois."

"I _AM_ funny! Aren't I? Thank you for noticing!"

"Are you... _drinking_? Are you even of age?" Aziawa could feel himself starting to heat up.

"Only the stuff over 30,000 yen."

"WHAT?! Do you have any idea what that costs?!

A pause.

"...No."

Another pause.

"BUT it doesn't matter. I heard you can't get drunk on the really bubbly ones. I know I said I would never drink again but Light isn't here and Uncle's in another dimension so I think I'll be fine. I kinda understand my Uncle better now, why he drank so much. It's nice. Nicer than the . . ." Her face clouded, she changed topics. "And so what if I'm under age? Geez, don't be such a cop, Aizawa."

"Yeah!" The guitar player shouted. "Cops are lame!"

Aizawa had no idea how to untangle anything she said. "Have you _completely_ lost your mind?"

"Maybe, I didn't need to use it much this past month, being handcuffed to a hospital bed and all." She looked at him pointedly, then her nostrils flared. "Not that any of you care, clearly it's so easy to just forget me."

 _Back to that again_. He thought.

She stopped, half chewing on Vincent, hurt crossed her face. "Lots of people forgetting me lately." She said quietly.

Aizawa felt a PANG in his chest. "Oh. Oh. I'm sorry, kid. Look, the whole thing with Ryuzaki, it's hard on everyone. I know you guys were close, or something. I'm sure if you talk to him-"

"Oh, I TALKED to him, alright. He said I was useless. USELESS. And just a-a criminal!" Her face was an angry red and she swayed slightly. "If I'm just a criminal then I'll be the most extravagant criminal in Japan. Kira can't kill me and I'm small fish to L." Her eyes clouded. "I don't _need_ him." She said. "Right?" She looked to her posse, who were ignoring her again. Then nodded. "Right."

Aizawa stood up and reached for her arm. "Look, whatever _this_ - _"_ He gestured at the table of luxury (he was now certain were either stolen or paid for with stolen money). "-IS, it's clearly not healthy. Let me take you... _wherever_ you're staying, ok? You're pretty sauced, kid."

She yanked her elbow away, knocking over a glass. People were starting to stare. She crossed her arms defiantly. She started to hiccup. "I'm not-hiccup-staying-hiccup-anywhere-hiccup - yyyet! But I-I will be! I will be in the most expensive, most prestigious penthouse suite in all of Japan! I've earned it!" She slammed her fist on the table. "Hiccup!"

The maitre'd started to run over. The violinists stopped playing with an off-key screech.

"I should be living large like CERTAIN SELFISH millionaires I know..." She stopped, looking confused. "He IS a millionaire, right? He never seems to care about money." She then became incredibly angry again. "Like he doesn't care about anything! Or anyone! He's a jerk!"

"Right! Sing it, girl! Nick Woodman IS a jerk!" Shouted one of the girls.

Aizawa felt so confused.

But Ella was still going. "Hoarding all his cash to himself. Like that-that dragon from that book. Smoog? Smig? Smug? YEAH! THAT'S IT! He's SMUG!"

Aizawa tightened his lips. _Well, she's not exactly wrong._ He thought wryly to himself. "Come on, kid, that ain't fair. You haven't bought this stuff honestly, have you? I heard all about your pick-pocketing abilities from Matsuda."

Now the poor maitre'd looked like he was about to faint. Not that he cared if the money paying for the meal was hers or not, but if this policeman arrested her who would settle the bill? Let alone the tip! She had ordered fugu, and not one but three square watermelons for goodness sake! His waitstaff started to fan him rapidly with napkins.

"What are you talking about, cop?" The guitarist rolled his eyes. "She invented Gopro. Get your facts straight." He said.

Aizawa had just about enough of them. He rounded on the man and pointed a finger. Using his best _I'm-the-dad-and-you-better-go-to-bed_ voice. "You're drinking with a _minor_ , and who _knows_ what else. If you people don't clear out of here in five seconds I _WILL_ arrest you!"

Ella's 'friends' disappeared in a flash.

Her expression barely registered the sudden mass migration. Now it was just her, Aizawa and half of Vincent.

"You're judging me." She stated flatly, then hiccuped again.

"God! You know what?" He slapped his bouquet of flowers on the tablet. Red-faced. "I am! What happened to using your crazy thieving powers for good? Like you did trying to save Ukita?! You're better than this! I've seen you be _better_."

She stiffened.

By now the entire restaurant was leaning in to eavesdrop on the drama. Selfie-sticks and escorts long forgotten. A few were filming with their phones, excited to spot Krazy Krispois in a public fight, knowing they'd rake in the views.

She pointed a shaky finger at him. "You don't know anything about me." She said quietly.

Aizawa ignored the warning in her voice.

He braced his hands on the table, hanging his head, nodding. "Maybe. And maybe that's my fault. But I do know _you_ know right from wrong. And there's so much wrong about this. You're hurting. You should talk to someone. If not me, then, well, anyone. Look," he lowered his voice, "there's this victims of assault group thing a few girls I know go to. Maybe-"

"Please." She whispered in disgust. "Like...like having a bunch of sad people in a circle cry to each other is going to make it easier to sleep at night. Make me stop seeing _him_ everywhere I go."

And Aizawa noticed the bags under her eyes, and how thin she was - previously hard to see in the dim candlelight under the giant fur coat. How could L let this _happen?_ She should be in therapy! Not hosting one-woman dinner parties and drowning her sorrows in wine. She reminded him of his toddler, dressing up in her mom's big hat and oversized heels and pearls thinking she was grown up.

"I'm going t-to burn _bright_ , and if that means I burn out fast then who cares? Not you. Mikal did but he's dead. Definitely _not_ L. It's Sydney Pennypocket against the world all over again." She wiped her eyes with her bare arm.

Aizawa blinked. "W-who's Sydney Pennypocket?"

She froze. "W-wha...who?" She squinted her eyes, straining to remember. Her body swayed again. "What did I say?"

"You said...oh, thank goodness. I felt like such an idiot calling you Krispy. That's the dumbest alias I've ever heard."

She stopped swaying, suddenly. Her face turned green.

Aizawa quickly flashed his badge at the wait staff. "I've got her, gents."

The maitre'd, as dramatically as he could muster, fell into a chalk-white faint.

Sydney's cheeks bulged. "Oh no."

She then proceeded to puke in the wine chiller.

The audience that had gathered all gasped and looked away in horror, then looked back through their fingers.

Aizawa carefully held her up by the arm, and as soon as she finished puking ushered her quickly out of the restaurant.

As they left she was waving her half-eaten Vincent like a sword at anyone along the way.

 **LIGHT**

Light had left his pencil-breaking anger back at school, playing the good son for his family at the dinner table. He discussed his lessons, teased his sister about boys, and reassured his mother he was being safe walking home at night.

The phone rang in the kitchen.

"I'll get it." His father said, wiping his moustache neatly with a napkin and standing up.

His mother turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Who could be calling at this hour?" She asked in such a way that implied whoever it was should buy a watch.

Sayu retrieved their mother's attention by excitedly squealing how Hideki Ryuga was coming back to Tokyo and couldn't she _please_ have a ticket and she promises she won't ask for anything at Christmas OR her birthday if only...

Light kept an ear open, glancing sidelong at his father, who cycled through being startled, to concern, to grim solidarity.

He hung up the phone on the wall with a CLICK and paced back to the table.

"Sayu, Light, do you mind going upstairs? I need to talk to your mother alone for a minute."

Sayu and Light exchanged looks. She puffed up her cheeks and widened her eyes, miming the question. Light shrugged. They both did what they were told and wandered upstairs, despite the strangeness. Sayu was bouncing with curiosity, but Light managed to get her to go to bed, telling her if it was important their parents would let them know in the morning.

Then he snuck back down the hall and perched at the top of the stairs, listening intently. Was it about the investigation? About him? He racked his brain. Did he make a mistake? Was he caught?

"I don't know, Soichiro." His mother said reluctantly. "Aren't there shelters or charities that can help her instead?"

"Yes, but she's been through a lot. And part of that _is_ our fault, or at least Ryuzaki's fault. She doesn't know anyone in the city. It won't be forever-"

"But-"

"It's the right thing to do." He said solemnly, as if that settled it.

Light couldn't see his mother's face, but the electricity in the air told him that it was not completely settled, no matter what his father said.

Then he heard footsteps approach, so he hopped back to his room as quickly as he could, shutting his door softly.

More footsteps. A pause. Then a knock.

When his father opened the door Light was sitting innocently on his bed, reading a magazine. He looked up. "What is it?"

"...We're going to have a guest."

Light blinked slowly at his father. "Who is it?" But he already knew the answer. He restrained himself from smiling.

Once in a while, Kira did get lucky.

 **AIZAWA**

Orange rectangles of light swept through the car as they passed beneath streetlamps. The nissan was quiet aside from a gentle _huuuuummm._

Sydney was lying down in the backseat, arm draped over her eyes, using her fur coat as a blanket, feeling like her head was hit by a hammer. _I can't handle alcohol._ She thought, groaning inside. _Maybe it runs in the family._

"That was so _embarrassing_."

"Yes, yes it was."

Aizawa was driving, eyes facing straight ahead. He liked driving, it always calmed him down, gave him time to think. Once upon a time he used to want to be a professional race car driver. When he was a kid. That was a long time ago.

"Please don't be mad at me for stealing all that stuff." Sydney's voice cracked. "I was just-"

"I know."

"No you don't." She whispered.

"Try me."

He almost didn't think she would speak again. Sydney was staring at the ceiling of the car, her body gently rocking back and forth.

"Have you ever eaten dog food, Aizawa?" She asked quietly.

Aizawa blinked, taken aback. His guard dropped. He glanced at her in the mirror. "W-what?"

"It was my third foster home, I was six. They had twelve other kids - for the checks, you know? Well, they liked to put a lock on the fridge door. I went to bed so hungry sometimes I'd chew on my shoes just to taste something." She forced her lips to stop quivering as she took a deep, shuddering breath. "One day they put a bowl in the floor and dumped a can of dog food in it. And I-I was...I was just so hungry."

She turned her head away, hiding her face in her coat.

Aizawa's shoulders fell.

"The funny part? They didn't even have a dog." She almost laughed. Almost. Then looked back at the front of the car, eyes wide and wet. "My point is...I was just...really hungry today. I'm sorry."

"It's...It's okay. Okay?"

"...okay."

"I'm surprised you were able to spend so much from just pickpocketing."

"Well...there was the insurance scam too."

"WHAT?!"

"...And the illegal chinchilla race."

Aizawa looked at her through the mirror in amazement. "Wait, what neighbourhood did you hit?"

"Oh, mostly Kabukicho. A bit of Shibuya - I read up on Tokyo a bit more when in the hospital. I hate being lost." She said casually. "It's high traffic, and I like the neon signs."

Aizawa guffawed. "I don't believe this! I know of at least two officers posted in Kabukicho." He shook his head. "I'll have to discipline them." He muttered under his breath.

Part of him felt awed at how successful Sydney was when unleashed on the Tokyo populace. _I should ask the department to issue a warning PSA about pickpocketing or something…_

He glanced at her in the mirror again. If Sydney was capable of this in a single night, and drunk on top of it, what could she do when using her skills with purpose? Aizawa paled. _She'd take over the world in a week._

Her face screwed up in pain as if she was holding back more vomit.

"Do NOT puke in my car." He ordered.

"No promises."

They drove a little further, Sydney's eyes shut, focused on not puking.

"I'm returning what you took, you know."

"Yeah...I figured." She said, petting her fur coat mournfully. "Are you taking me to jail?"

"No."

"But you're a police officer? Isn't that your job?"

Aizawa sighed. "Being a police officer isn't just about throwing bad guys in jail." He said. "It's about helping people. So this is me, helping you."

"But you don't like me."

"I help lots of people I don't like." He said, making a left turn.

"Well," Sydney rolled weakly onto her side with the movement of the car. "I think that makes you a pretty terrible police officer."

Aizawa said nothing.

"But a pretty good friend." She whispered.

There was a moment. A very tiny one.

"That...was the cheesiest line I've ever heard." Aizawa said gruffly.

"Screw you, you liked it." Sydney muttered.

The corner of his mouth twitched into almost a smile.

They drove a ways in comfortable silence.

"Can I at least keep the tiara?"

"No."

 **SYDNEY**

They rolled into a quiet driveway on a quiet street. All the houses down the road had black windows, except the one they pulled in front of.

Sydney had her face pressed up against the glass window, enjoying the coldness against her cheek. "Where are we?" This place looked familiar.

She sat up a little straighter, peering between the two front seats past the windshield.

Standing in the arch of the doorway, leaning with his shoulder on the brick wall under a yellow porch lantern, trying not to look extremely pleased with himself, was Light.

Her eyes flicked to Aizawa's, reflected in the front mirror. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

 **FLYING OVER CHINA**

A beautiful woman, no older than thirty-five, stared out the plane window from her first class seat. There was a calm, effortless air about her. She had blonde hair down to her waist. An intelligent mouth and a glossy french manicure.

Her back was perfectly straight, her nylon legs elegantly crossed showing a pair of Louis Vuitton black heels, and her hands rested in her lap.

A stewardess walked over, holding an unopened bottle of Riesling. She glanced at her passenger roster. "Would you care for another glass, Mrs-wow, what a beautiful name. Ambrosine Renaux? Is that French?"

"It is just 'Miss' now, and thank you." Ambrosine uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, accepting the drink once poured.

"Will you be in Tokyo long?" The stewardess asked.

Ambrosine touched her lips to the glass and took a small sip. She smiled. "I should think so. I'm visiting an old friend."

 _ **Chapter End**_

 **Author's Note**

Hey, Satchelle here. I made it extra long for you guys as a thank you for the wait. To reexplain what I said in 49, I've split the story in two parts because of the length.

I wanted to make sure the lasting effects of what happened to Sydney was/is being shown. I think it would be weird for her to survive all that and not have a little PTSD.

And I think the story (and my other work) has come a long way since that first chapter. I hope you liked all the twists and turns. It's been a while but I tried to keep everyone still in character. I also tried to keep the humour in there as much as possible.

As for me? I've gone through my own little series of trials. We keep calling it 'the bad year'. But sometimes it feels like 'the bad decade'. I won't go into it, but I gotta catch a break sometime.

What are you guys up to? Let me know your thoughts on Sydney and the gang, if it's still worth writing etc etc

Thanks for reading!

Forever your Faithful Fan,

~Satchelle


	2. The Taming of the Sydney

**Chapter 51**

 **The Taming of the Sydney**

 **SYDNEY**

I woke up on a thin floor mattress, with sticky eyes and what can only be described as 'llama-hair'.

I'm not sure if it was the hangover, or just physical exhaustion, but thankfully I had a dreamless sleep. Or if I did have the usual nightmares, I didn't remember them.

For a few minutes I laid on my back in absolute stillness, letting my limbs creak back into place and the stiffness in my neck to subside.

I didn't mind the floor, but I disliked waking up in a room I didn't recognize.

It looked like a teenage girl's room.

There were posters of pop bands, neglected stuffed animals tucked between books on suspended shelves, a mirrored vanity and lavender-painted walls.

 _But I don't know any teenage girls . . ._

"GASP! You're awake!"

 _That voice sounds like . . ._

Sayu's bright face hovered into view a few feet over mine. She looked at me with wide, excited eyes. "I can't believe I have Ellanor _KRISPOIS_ in my room. If I had known you were famous last time we met I would have gotten way more selfies with you."

She threw herself beside me and held her phone over us both, then made a peace sign with her fingers.

CLICK!

The image froze on her screen for a second. Sayu looked the poster-child for sparkling happiness. Myself, on the other hand, had smeared make-up, crazy hair and a general deflated balloon...ness.

"Squeee!" She wiggled happily, quickly typing tags to add to the photo. "My friends are going to FREAK. Ellanor Krispois is my big brother's _girlfriend_!"

 _Did I tell her that?_ It was getting harder and harder to keep track of my lies.

I winced at the piercing sound of her giggling and groaned, sitting up. Last night's embarrassment was speeding back into my mind like barrels rolling down a hill and crashing apart.

It didn't help that Sayu was flipping through a sequence of worsening photos showing me doing (bad) karaoke and screaming out of the top of a limo.

 _I should never drink._ I thought darkly. _Two times and I've gotten completely overboard. It must be hereditary. Mikal always said I had zero self-control-_

A familiar pang beat in my chest. And a looming shadow across the room about Mikal's height fuzzily swam into the corner of my vision. I quickly stood up, overcome by the need to flee, and swayed back and forth, holding my head in my hands.

"Uh, Sayu? I-I could really use a shower." I said weakly.

"Ok! Second door down the hall. I'll ask mom about clothes for you."

 **LATER**

I burned the night before off my skin with blazing hot water. The droplets thrummed on my shoulders and top of my head pleasantly. The steam gave me clarity, and the engine of my heart sputtered back to life (after I coughed up an enormous ball of something unidentifiable).

Someone poked their hand through the door to set down a pile of clothes before quickly shutting it again.

I turned the water off, listening to my breathing, letting the water fall off the tips of my hair and swirl around my feet. For a moment, I thought I could hear someone else's breath on the back of my neck, and my skin tingled with electricity.

I whipped my head around to look - but the space was empty.

I wrapped my arms around myself to stop from shivering.

The presence had felt like Mikal again.

The wonderful fleeting relief from him and thoughts of Beyond I enjoyed from my partying the night before had washed away with soap and hot water.

I was not cured.

I stepped into the cold air and took a look at the clothes on a small stool next to the sink. I blinked. "Oh, come on!"

 _So, ugly red and yellow bowtie, we meet again._

The school uniform was identical to the one I had worn for a single day at Hibya high school. Although a bit looser on my frame now. I tugged at the itchy collar of the sweater vest and pulled the grey skirt down, shifting from foot to foot.

 _This better be some kind of joke._

Admittedly, I did look almost normal, although my hair fell in wet waves down my back. It was more even and blended now, softer, less wild. And a couple cuts and bruises still showed on my face. I lifted a finger and gently touched a thin red line on my cheek.

 _I wonder if it'll scar._

I poked my head out of the bathroom and looked left and right suspiciously.

With caution, I stepped quietly down the carpeted hallway, considered going back into Sayu's room (then shuddered at the thought of more inevitable selfies), and turned across the hall.

There was Light's door.

I leaned on my good leg, rubbing my elbow and biting the inside of my cheek. A tiny thought wriggled into my head. _I wonder..._

VERY carefully, I opened his door a crack and peeked inside.

It was empty.

With a relieved sigh, and as quick as my limp would allow, I hurried into his room and shut the door, taking care not to make any unnecessary noise.

I bee-lined for his desk, grabbed a pen and poked it through the hole under his drawer, lifting the false bottom.

My face fell in disappointment.

 _It's gone_.

"I moved it, obviously."

I froze.

"Do you _really_ think I'm dumb enough to put it back in the same spot you found last time?"

I slowly straightened and, smooth as butter, turned around to face Light, who was waiting in the doorway, looking entirely unsurprised to see me.

He was wearing a white dress shirt with a stiff grey suede jacket and black pants. And the usual straight milk-chocolate hair, of course. _I bet he carries a comb with him everywhere he goes._

"If I said yes would that offend you?" My voice was sickly sweet and my wide smile showed all my teeth.

He shut the door and stepped casually across the room towards me, I stepped in the other direction. "Are you afraid of me, _Sydney_?"

I glared at him.

"Or is it Ella? Or Ellanora? Your name changes as often as a traffic light these days."

I was trying to move towards the door, but Light kept blocking me. "I think it's the other way around, _Light_." I whispered, heart beating fast. "I think you're afraid of me. Afraid of what I know."

"And what _do_ you know, Sydney? I think it's about time we have a little... _heart to heart_." He had me backed up against his bookshelf, and leaned in threateningly close.

I grimaced and placed my hand warningly on his chest. "Wow, you have _terrible_ breath."

Light wasn't fazed. "How do you know the Shinigami? Do you have a Death Note too? Is that why mine doesn't work on you? Everyone knows there's a second Kira roaming around - but you don't seem to have the _conviction_ for it." He grabbed my arm and squeezed.

I tried to hide my wince. "Careful what you say, Light." I warned, trying to make my voice sound dangerous. "Your family is just outside that door. I could-"

"If you had proof you would have used it a long time ago."

"Maybe, but if you think you can hurt me under your father's roof you're wrong. They think I'm your girlfriend, after all."

Light stopped moving, his expression was almost void of emotion, but I could see it in his eyes, the coldness. He wanted me dead, he was picturing it right now. "Yes, it does pose a problem. Then again..."

I raised my chin a little higher, voice stronger. "You've never killed anyone without your book, Light. Never gotten your hands dirty. Too busy playing God."

"And what? You have, Sydney?"

I blinked.

 _Lightning flashed. I was back, trembling in the rain, holding a sword to Beyond's neck, ready to drive it through his throat. But my muscles weakened at the last moment. I didn't have the strength to finish what I started. Beyond started laughing…_

I blinked again.

Light was looking at me with a sick smile on his face. "You look rattled. Feeling defenseless now that L has left you to the dogs?"

Anger flushed in my chest. "Don't talk about him." I said.

Behind Light, a shadow slid smoothly sideways. My eyes flicked up. Mikal's head was partly visible over Light's shoulder, but his back was turned.

Light must have noticed me looking. "Nice try, but if you're attempting to trick me into thinking you see Ryuk you've failed. He's floating beside you - I believe trying to look up your skirt."

A pause.

"Get away from me you _FREAK!_ " I flailed wildly, forcing Light to leap back, and began kicking at suspicious empty spots of air.

I couldn't see or hear Ryuk, but I could imagine his husky laugh at my reaction. I stopped, panting heavily. Light looked irritatingly amused.

He crossed his arms. "Bad Ryuk." He mockingly shook his head. "Don't waste your time if they aren't pretty." He made sure to very slowly look me up and down.

 _I bet he was lying about Ryuk just to mess with me._ I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "The fifth grade called. They want your insult back."

"So, you know about him but you can't see him..." Light touched his temple and leaned his head into his hand. "Interesting. Did your shinigami friend tell you that?"

"I don't have any shinigami friends."

"I don't believe you." He replied with cold certainty.

I frowned. _Wait. He knows about Scab? Or is he guessing?_ I couldn't be sure, and I didn't want to tip my hand too early. My eyes casually scanned the room. _What if Ryuk knows? Would he tell Light?_ It didn't matter anyways, I hadn't lied. Scab was definitely _not_ my friend . . . _But Light doesn't need to know that._

Light continued. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Cute, and no."

Someone called our names from downstairs.

Light and I stared at each other for a brief moment, sizing the other up.

I knew Light was capable of killing me if backed into a corner. He had attacked me once at the hospital, although still relied on the Death Note to try and finish the job.

But he had rescued me from those men in the alley. And the morning after, it had been almost nice, talking candidly with him over pancakes. Unlike the constant and exhausting secrets and side-stepping I had to do with L, I could be honest with Light. Even if it's honest hatred. _If only I could convince him leave the dark side._

To him, I must have been a very frustrating question mark. He assumed I had a Death Note like him, and insider information, but he was right - without L to defend me I was left vulnerable.

The voice called again, more urgently.

Light withdrew, returning to his usual look of innocence.

He opened his door and, like a perfect gentleman, gestured for me to leave first.

I passed him with a look that would melt steel (or I hoped it would). At the top of the stairs I stopped. "Oh, you'll probably want _this_ back." As if from thin air I produced a black comb in my hand.

Light stared at it. "When did you…"

"I can't _believe_ you carry that in your pocket. If I had friends we'd be gossiping about how much of a girl you are right now."

Light, with great prejudice, snatched it out of my hands.

Laughing, I limped down to the dining room.

 **DOWNSTAIRS**

Chief Yagami was the one cooking breakfast, with plates of toast and eggs and a jug of orange juice on the table (though I noticed the bacon was cholesterol-free based on its general cardboard-y-ness, no doubt on doctor's orders - or Mrs. Yagami's).

It was weird to see him out of a suit, wearing an apron and holding a frying pan in one hand.

Sayu was already diving into her meal with enthusiasm, flipping through her phone discreetly under the table with one hand. Mrs. Yagami was next to her, and watching me quietly from over her glass of orange juice.

Light pulled a chair up for me.

I walked right by him without looking and disappeared into the kitchen.

Light shrugged to both Sayu and his mom and sat down.

The kitchen smelled amazing, and my mouth watered. I approached the Chief, who was sweating over the stove, with my hands clasped innocently behind my back. "What's going on, Chief?" I gestured down in the general direction of my uniform.

He pointed a spatula at me. "Yes, since you're going to be staying with us for a while we thought it proper you return to school."

"Me? Stay here?" A pause. " _SCHOOL?"_

"Yes, yes. No reason to interrupt your studies. In the meantime we will look into either finding passage back to North America, or if you want, pursuing citizenship here. Both might be . . . _difficult_ without proper papers, but it's a start." He flipped a pancake.

"I know this is hard to believe, but I _basically_ graduated high school in New York already."

"This is Japan."

"Lots of millionaires never finished high school." I pointed yet.

"Are you a millionaire, Miss Krispy?"

". . . well, I _could,_ I mean I might be if I had a long lost rich relative mysteriously die and leave me their entire-"

" _Ella_ ," Chief Yagami said my name (Aizawa must have kept the real one to himself) with such a weathered and tired tone that I fell immediately silent. "It is not a crime to accept _help_ once in a while _._ "

I ran my tongue along the inside of my cheek, looking down at the floor. "I don't need it." I said quietly.

The Chief turned around and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know. But this is only temporary, and it might make things easier on you. Is that such a bad thing? You should get back to some _normalcy_ after . . . after what happened."

"Yeah." I scratched the back of my neck, not able to look him in the eye. _I don't know what normal is anymore. School, living in the Yagami household, it's like Death Note turned into a sitcom. Any more changes and L will start saying BAZINGA._

"What about what happened? I lasted a day before school turned into a scene out of the 'Mean Girls' movie." I pointed out.

"I spoke with the Headmaster, the matter was dealt with, and it will not happen again. Senior year just started, so you won't be behind your classmates. And if you're overwhelmed I'm sure Light would be happy to assist you - when he's not doing his own school work or helping with the investigation of course."

"Of course..." I echoed hoarsely.

A little stunned, I returned to the dining room. Light was trying hard not to look pleased with himself, Mrs. Yagami was pretending to be fascinated by her eggs, and Sayu leaped up with a cheer of excitement, knocking her chair over.

"This is so EXCITING! We're going to be at the SAME school!" She flung herself at me like a cannonball and tried to both hug me and jump up and down at the same time.

It was then I realized she was wearing the same uniform.

"I'm a junior! I can't WAIT."

All my energy drained out of my body into a puddle on the floor. I glanced at Light, who was calmly cutting into a piece of bacon. "Good luck." He said.

And we shared a knowing, dark look, secret to everyone else.

 _I didn't mean it._ His eyes told me.

 _I hope you get hit by a bus._ Mine answered.

 **LATER**

School was, different.

Mrs. Yagami dropped Sayu and I off. The car ride had felt tense, with Mrs. Yagami barely speaking a word to me.

Thankfully Sayu filled the silence babbling about what our teachers are going to be like and how she's going to fail math she just knows it.

When we arrived the students were milling around the front yard before the bell, clustering into groups underneath autumn trees, on the lawn and beside the stairs. Sayu spotted some of her friends and cheerfully waved goodbye to me and promised to find me later.

I stood, awkward and alone on the stone pathway. _This is stupid. I should just leave. I can lie my way into a hotel or something._

 _Yeah, but then what?_

Another thought wormed in my brain. _You wanted to stay close to the investigation. This could be how._ But did I really? Did I want to see L again? Maybe the Chief was right. I could go back to America. It couldn't be that different in an anime than my world, could it?

 _There's no one there for you._

I curled my fingers and touched my chest lightly, feeling the pulsing yellow light I knew was there. _What good is a Spark if I don't know how to use it?_

Other students had noticed me, and kept glancing over and whispering to each other. _Did they remember me? Where's that Kimiko girl and her gang of thugs?_ I looked around, trying to spot any familiar face. My heart started to beat a little faster. _This is crazy. Trying to be normal. I can't be normal. No one can after-_

"ELLA!" A crisp British accent shouted.

My panic hit the pause button and I turned around.

Donovan was sitting on his wheelchair next to the handicap ramp. He waved me over. His cherry-red spiky hair was easy to spot, and the glint of his lip ring caught the morning light. He was next to Mei, who had cut her hair short. She was tugging at the hem of her shirt uncomfortably and not making eye contact with me.

I smiled and walked over. "Oh, hey." I said relieved. "Long time no see, hotwheels. I like your hair, Mei."

Mei gave me a short, shallow smile.

"You've got some explaining to do. You're here for one day, start a riot in the cafeteria and then disappear?! Now you're all OVER the internet. It's crazy!" Donovan said excitedly.

"I-it is?"

"Yeah, can't you tell? Everyone is talking about you. You're trending. Mei, show her." He nudged Mei playfully to show me her phone.

"O-oh, that's okay." I said, shaking my head. _So that's what all the whispering is about._ "I didn't just _disappear._ Well, I guess I did. But I made some students mad at me, so I had to make a quick exit-"

"Yeah, we heard about that, there's something you should know . . ."

The bell rang.

Donovan unhooked his break and rolled backwards. "We'll talk after class. Come on, Mei."

Mei, still not saying a word to me, nodded and hurried after Donovan.

 _Huh, she got her braces off._

 **L**

L was reviewing his notes while making a sugar cube pyramid. Every time he reached the top it kept falling down, sending crumbs of sugar toppling to the floor, scattering.

He rubbed his bare feet together, his toes felt cold.

A beep on his computer screen, an alert popped up. L paused, sugar cube balanced precariously on its edge, and clicked the link.

It was an automatic alert via videolink, with security feed of Hibya High.

 _Ah, right._

He had neglected to remove the security cameras from the school, originally placed to keep an eye on Penny. Watari had explained that to him. An experiment to see how she'd behave in her natural habitat, apparently.

 _This must be old feed...wait...no._ The video was stamped LIVE and marked with today's date. It was fuzzy and low resolution (all they could arrange and be discreet at the same time).

L double clicked and the camera zoomed in.

Penny was sitting at her desk, practicing balancing a pencil on its tip to make it stand straight up.

L glanced over at his own pyramid, and then back at the screen. His finger slowly traced his mouse pad, and he clicked for audio.

" _Just because it is the first day of class does not mean we will be slacking off. Senior year marks are extremely important for University track…"_

Penny succeeded in keeping her pencil standing for three seconds and leaped up with her arms in the air, shouting in victory.

" _Miss KRISPY. You might be an internet sensation but I will not have you disrupting my class."_

" _Oh, right. Whoops. Sorry."_ She sat back down, crossing her legs and twiddling her thumbs. A pause. _"So you really think I'm an internet sensation, huh?"_

L pulled his phone from his back pocket and hit speed dial.

" _Ahem. Yes? Ryuzaki? What is it, another video from the second Kira? I'm getting in the car now."_

"No. Nothing like that." L mulled over the words in his mouth before saying them. "It is about Penny."

" _Who?"_

"Ella."

" _Oh. Right. Actually…"_ The Chief's tone sobered. " _I was expecting your call."_

"I thought I asked for no contact, Mr. Yagami."

" _Aizawa found her and brought her to me. I couldn't just turn her away."_

"So she is staying with you?"

" _Reluctantly. But yes. Light and I are not involving her in any case matters, if you're wondering."_

L inhaled slowly. "I had specific reasons for my request, Mr. Yagami."

" _And I am sorry, Ryuzaki. But I decide what happens in my home, not you. I have already sacrificed a great deal under my roof as per your request."_ He let the words hang for a moment in the air. _"Unless you can give me a good reason to turn a young woman on to the street then I must put my foot down."_

". . ."

" _Ryuzaki? Are you still there?"_

"Very well." L tried to keep the irritation from flaring in his tone. "That will be all, Mr. Yagami."

L hung up and let his arm slowly drop to his side. He looked back to the screen.

Penny was now reciting the 'O Captain My Captain' speech from the Dead Poet's Society while standing on her desk.

Feeling childish, L gently kicked his tiny sugar cube pyramid over with his toe.

 **SYDNEY**

The teachers were being strangely lenient with me today. No detention, no expulsion. Nothing. Just exhausted looks and polite "Please don't draw those images on my chalk board" requests.

That wasn't the only strange thing.

Between classes, beside my locker (which was resisting opening and would likely require harsher interrogation techniques), a student ran up to me.

He carefully placed a brand new pencil case in my arms and bowed, backing away. He was nodding and smiling nervously at me, as if I was supposed to know what that meant.

I looked down at the pencil case, bewildered, and when I turned back to the student he was already racing down the hallway and out of sight.

"That was weird." I shrugged and kept walking to class.

But throughout political science and English lessons people kept handing me gifts. Brand new sharpeners and notebooks and even answers to tests (of which I kept in my bra - they never check your bra). By the time lunch came around my locker was overflowing.

I stood outside my classroom holding a mountain of school supplies and bento boxes and phone accessories in my arms when Donovan rolled up to me. Mei was faithfully one step behind. He was holding her books in his lap. "Hey, Ella, you want to eat lunch with us?"

"Um, sure. Hey, is there some sort of holiday in Japan I'm missing?" I asked, scratching my head.

Mei finally spoke up. "Secret admirers perhaps?"

"Well," I flicked a strand of hair behind my shoulder, "I wouldn't be surprised, considering how amazing and beautiful I am. I've heard I'm an _internet sensation_ , you know."

Donovan laughed. Mei didn't.

"Hmm." Donovan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You don't think-?" He looked up at Mei.

She shrugged.

"What?" I looked between them, found my locker again, gave it a swift kick to show it who's boss, and stuffed my 'stuff' in it.

"They might be afraid of you." Donovan said, as nicely as possible. "Or trying to ask for favours."

"Wah? Why?!" I tried forcing my locker door shut by shoving my back into it and digging my heels into the tile floor.

"Well, because of Kimiko." Mei mumbled.

I finally shut the door, breathless. "What about her?"

Donovan leaned in whispering. "You _know_ , how your Yakuza connections taught her a lesson after she beat you up."

". . ."

I laughed all the way to the cafeteria.

"I'm serious!" Donovan said, rolling his wheels quickly to catch up.

I wiped tears from my eyes. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Oh, but I needed a good laugh today." I touched his shoulder, holding my stomach.

Mei quickly ran over, nudging me to the side. "Donovan, why don't you go get us a table? I'll bring you a tray."

"Oh, er, ok then." A little confused, Donovan rolled away.

Mei urged me forward in line before I could protest, drawing my attention away. "I'll explain. Kimiko was always bragging how her uncle was a big shot and used it for influence. Not a lot of people liked her. But everyone heard how after she had her posse attack you, you had your Yakuza friends kidnap and intimidate her."

"I _WHAT?_ "

A bunch of people turned to look at us. Even the lunch lady who was currently pouring something that _looked_ like meat but definitely wasn't meat on my tray made a face.

I lowered my voice. _"I what?"_ I whispered.

"Everybody heard."

I frowned. _They think...they think L is Yakuza?!_ The thought was mildly hilarious, and mildly terrifying. _Well, he DID threaten her. But it was a police interrogation, not a gang..._

We took our trays and sat down next to Donovan, who made space for his wheelchair at the end of a table next to a wide window.

A small idea was slowly dawning on me, growing bigger as my thoughts poured in, watering it. "So...so they want to give me free stuff...to not incur my wrath?"

"Basically." Donovan replied through a mouthful of mystery vegetables. "What are you staring at?"

I leaned over and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. I pointed towards the far wall. "Into the distant future, hotwheels. And it's looking bright."

Mei sputtered in her glass of milk, coughing.

 **DOWN THE STREET**

Ambrosine sat outside the cafe, next to the rot-iron fence. A magnolia's leaves, golden in Autumn, hung above her. Legs crossed, she sipped her latte and watched local news on her phone.

 _"Yet another tape from Kira has surfaced. The renown 'L' has publicly been called out. If he does not show his face, Kira will kill police officers and public officials. . ."_

She tapped the screen with a manicured nail to another video. A panel of people were arguing with each other.

 _"Who does this 'L' guy think he is? Does he think his life is worth more than everyone else?"_ One man exclaimed.

 _"If he's the only one who can stop Kira then I would have to say YES!"_ Another man shouted.

A woman leaned forward in her seat. _"What I believe our audience REALLY wants to know is L's identity. AND if he's an eligible bachelor."_

 _"Are you serious? Why don't you just ask if he prefers boxers or briefs? Focus on the issues. Our lives are on the line!"_

 _"That's a good question. So L,"_ the woman looked directly in the camera, _"DO you wear boxers or briefs?"_

Ambrosine smiled. She left her latte half finished, wiping whipped cream from the corner of her mouth, and dialed her phone.

The phone rang once, twice, thr…

" _. . . I thought I told you to never use this number."_

"I'm in Japan." Ambrosine twirled a strand of glossy hair coyly between her fingers. "Let's chat."

 **SYDNEY**

It was nearing the end of lunch hour and already a new pile of 'offerings' had grown at my feet. A few students tried to give me their lunch, which considering the quality of food I saw more as a punishment than a gift.

I was picking at my not-food (no, more like _anti-food_ ), dreaming up increasingly extravagant ways to use my fame to my advantage, when someone caught my eye. Chewing slowly, I stared at her, unable to shake the vague sensation of deja vu.

She was a short, skinny creature, and sat dejectedly on her own in the middle of the cafeteria, gloomily inspecting a sour-looking sandwich. Her bleached hair fell straight down the front of her face, looking recently wetted. Her make-up ran down her face and her nail polish had faded. The students gave her a wide berth, but served her multiple glances from the corners of their eyes.

"Hey," I asked, swallowing and nodding in her direction. "Who's that?"

"We were just talking about her?" Donovan whispered. " _That's_ Kimiko Namikawa!"

I nearly choked on a green thing disguised as a string bean. It took a large drink of water and Mei patting me on the back before I could speak again. Keeping my voice down, I leaned over the table to speak. "What? She looks so different!"

"She a little less...put together." Mei piped in.

"What happened?" I couldn't stop staring at her. Before she was a water-bra wearing, manicured, sparkly, bouncy-haired harpy. Now she looked the part of a timid, partially drowned rabbit.

"After you sicked your Yakuza friends on her-" Donovan started.

"They _weren't_ Yakuza." I interrupted

"Sure, whatever. Anyways, she started being . . . how do I put this . . . ?"

"Nice?" Mei suggested.

Donovan snapped his fingers. "That's it, Mei! Nice. Or, as nice as Kimiko knows how to be."

Mei beamed.

Donovan lowered his voice even further. "Her so called 'friends' abandoned her, saying she lost her edge and isn't fit to lead them. Everyone else treats her like a black sheep because she used to be their bully."

"She sits alone, and eats alone, and doesn't talk much anymore." Mei added.

"Yeah, it's like she's been possessed by a ghost or an alien." Donovan sat back in his wheelchair.

I paused guiltily. L might have frightened the cruelty right out of Kimiko after threatening to put her in jail. Was that even possible . . . ?

"Wait!" Donovan exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

But I was already halfway across the cafeteria. In a few swift steps, I slid into a sitting position across the table from Kimiko. I folded my hands together. "Hiya."

Startled, she dropped her sandwich. "Oh, hello. Krispy, right?" She said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Uh, yeah." I pointed at the droplets that fell from her hair and to the steadily darkening pool of water that surrounded her. "What's up with that?"

"Oh," she sighed wistfully, waving her hand. "Just water balloons. My friends thou . . . my EX-friends thought that it would be funny." She glanced up at me. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I mean, it's just . . . you're really different from what I remember."

"And here I thought you'd be pleased." She said dryly, returning to pick at a limp tomato that had slipped out from between the bread.

"Kimiko. . ." I started, feeling uneasy, "I've kind of heard already but I wanted to know for sure. What happened?"

At this she laughed - a short, rude shriek that burst from her mouth. The sound was so harsh that it echoed her previous, sharper personality. "Ha!" She laughed again. "Is that supposed to be a joke? YOU happened! You and that stupid creepy panda man. She crossed her arms and legs, pouting her lips. "My recent exile is all your fault."

My mouth fell open, flabbergasted. "You're blaming _me_? You knew me for ONE day. One. How can I be the source of all your problems?"

"Ugh! It's what you said! It kept _bothering_ me. I ran it through my mind over and over and over. I was absolutely obsessed. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat - which turned out to be okay since I was able to fit into that cute skirt I bought." She added in afterthought, she shook her head rapidly, returning to her original point. "But otherwise - it was _awful_."

I felt my stomach sink. "What . . . did I say?"

"You don't remember?" She proclaimed, aghast. "It wasn't that long ago!"

"Uh, a lot has happened since then." I replied quickly. _You know, nightmares that are real, defeating my parents' murderer, getting kicked out of the Kira investigation - just regular exchange student things, no biggie._ "Remind me."

"About forgiving people who've hurt you. How it's a bad thing. And then I remembered how that evil panda mentioned something about opening psychological wounds - so I started to wonder if maybe you'd been abused and-"

I held my hands up, palm first. "Woah, woah. Okay." I lowered my voice and leaned forward. "Will you PLEASE keep it down?" I hissed through clenched teeth.

Her eyes widened and she inhaled a tiny gasp, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh! It's true! I KNEW it. You must tell me all the details." She placed her hands on mine. "Tell me _every thing_. I am here for you." Kimiko waited expectantly.

"Will you just," I closed my eyes, my lids flickering as I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, "please, stop being so dramatic."

"But you see," she shrunk a little, "I never . . . _thought_ about it like that before. When I . . . taught people lessons." She glanced sideways.

"You mean bullied them." I stated plainly.

"Oh, tomayto tomahto." She answered breezily. "Anyways, I actually felt-" She paused, her brow furrowing. She held her finger to her chin. "What's that word?"

"Bad?" I offered.

"Yes! Bad. Oh, it was a HORRENDOUS feeling, Krispy. Just awful. And THEN I couldn't help but wonder how OTHER people felt." She stopped suddenly, her eyes distant, and shuddered at the thought.

"Yeah, that's called empathy. Congratulations, you've graduated from harpy to human." I clasped her shoulder. "I've never been so proud."

With distaste, she picked up my hand between her thumb and forefinger and deposited it away from her, as if touching a rotten piece of cheese. I raised an eyebrow and smirked. I guess the old Kimiko was still in there - and not too deep down either.

"So, anyways," she flicked her wet hair daintily away, "I decided to apologize to all those kids - the ones I taught lessons to."

"You mean bullied."

"And they were quite LOVELY apologies if I do say so myself." She said loudly, drowning me out. "I bought the finest perfume and chocolate from Le Bon Marche and had them gift wrap it in pink silk," her face brightened excitedly, "I even had gold-embossed cards cartographed - I spared absolutely no expense." She flapped her hand and looked away with a smile.

I felt a bead of sweat form at the back of my head. "I'm sure they . . . _appreciated_ it."

"They better have!" She harrumphed. "My reputation has been destroyed because of it." Her face fell after a moment, and she uncrossed her arms. "Even my friends think I'm weird." She mumbled sadly. "I guess people only gave me free things or let me be first in line because they were afraid of me, not because they liked me." She frowned.

 _Well, people are giving me free things because they're afraid of me. But that's different, I would never ABUSE that power._

 _. . ._

 _(Maybe a SMIDGE.)_

 _. . ._

 _(Ok, ok . . . smidges. Teeny tiny smidges. Stop with the third degree!)_

I bit my bottom lip. Maybe it was because she had made such a drastic transformation, but seeing someone who used to be as confident as Kimiko look so sad made my stomach twist painfully. "Kimiko," I said softly. "I know how hard it is - to change. From my experience, not many people in life can. I'm . . . impressed."

"Well," Kimiko raised her chin haughtily, "of course you're impressed. Just because I'm turning over a new leaf doesn't mean I'm any less fabulous. Although," she said as an afterthought, "I could use a spa day. And a shopping spree. GASP. YOU should go _shopping_ with me!" She looked me up and down. "I saw you in those videos online partying with that pop band, you looked so much more _fashionable_ then. Very Miley Cyrus meets 5th street. But you look so _blah_ now."

Two more beads of sweat joined the first. I'm going to become dehydrated at this rate. "Listen, would you like to come sit with us?"

Kimiko blinked, and turned her head to look suspiciously at Donovan and Mei (who quickly looked away and pretended as though they were in a heated conversation about a stain on the table). "Sit with you losers? You must be jok-" She started to laugh, then caught herself.

 _Old habits die hard, I guess._ "I don't see anyone else offering, Kimiko. Consider it the next step in your self-rehabilitation."

For a moment I thought Kimiko was going to flat out refuse, but she stood up, gathered her sandwich and - head held high - strode over to the table. "I'm sitting here." She told Donovan and Mei.

I hurried behind her. "She means she would LIKE to sit here, if that's okay with you guys?"

They nodded, in a trance (and I had to forcibly close Donovan's open mouth). As Kimiko sat down, their wide eyes followed her, the way a spectator might watch a dangerous zoo animal.

"So," I clasped my hands together, trying to spark a conversation, "what's up with that weather, eh?"

Crickets.

My fake laughter petered out.

 **L**

His cell phone was banished to the corner of the room, on the floor. Like a disobedient child in time out.

L had firmly planted himself as far away as possible, and was perched on his chair with his knees bent, in case the phone grew legs and scurried over.

Watari was standing nearby. "Why is she here now?"

"She must have seen the news reports. Kira calling for my exposure." L mumbled, chewing on the tip of his thumb. His gaze was far away.

"Would you like me to . . . _encourage_ her to return to France?" Watari asked.

"No. She would never listen." L was thinking. "The task force will be here any minute to review the new tapes. I suspect the two Kiras have met already." He took his thumb out of his mouth and pressed it firmly between his eyes. "Will you go in my stead?"

"She is resourceful, Ryuzaki." Watari warned.

"I know. Just delay her."

 **SYDNEY**

I felt exhausted by the end of the school day.

Donovan, Mei and Kimiko agreed to meet again with me tomorrow, which I was told I can't miss, since it's 'Choose Your Club' day. I promised to go shopping with Kimiko too (the horror).

Mrs. Yagami picked Sayu and I up. Again, barely a word to me, but Sayu rambled about her classes and which teacher was nicest and how popular she was because she knew 'Ellanor Krispois'.

I began to think Mrs. Yagami's coldness might be intentional.

When we returned to their house, I was able to change into a set of simple clothes Mrs. Yagami had purchased (a cheap blue sweater that hung down to my knees and white jeans).

The Chief was working late, Light was pretending to do homework in his room (Light seemed in a bad mood when he got home, so I figured it far more likely he was taking his frustrations out on criminals of the world) and Mrs. Yagami had taken to distracting herself with a deep clean of the house.

I was trying to not be in the way, sitting on the sofa, watching TV with Sayu.

I felt...strangely good. I had been so busy with my classmates and school work (or finding more and more creative ways to _avoid_ doing school work) that I hadn't thought much about Mikal or L or the plot of Death Note at all.

Mikal was still there, a tiny, warped reflection in the corner of the television screen. But he was distant and faceless.

 _Maybe the Chief was right._ I thought, starting to relax into the cushion. _Maybe all I needed was some 'normalcy'._

DING-DONG!

"Could that be your father?" Mrs. Yagami lifted her head from bleaching the table.

Sayu jumped over the sofa. "I'll get it!" She opened the door. "Welcome ho-"

I craned my neck to look.

A flash of blonde hair blew over a tiny pale shoulder. A black lace skirt swished above matching leather boots. The hint of lip gloss shining on a rose-petal smile.

"Hello, my name is Misa."

 **End of Chapter 51**

Thanks for those fans that have migrated over from the first story. Nice to see some people sticking around. It's a good feeling seeing stuff I wrote a couple years ago finally make its way into the story.

 _It's all connected - (cue spooky 'ooooooooh')._

Sydney is slowly getting back to form. Misa has ARRIVED, baby! And we have proven Light DOES in fact carry a comb around for that glorious Zac Efron hair (I KNEW it).

Thanks for reading. Let me know your thoughts, it's fun experiencing the chapter with you guys. And I'm having fun writing it again. :)

~Satchelle


	3. Sydney Hides Under a Bed

**Chapter 52**

 **Sydney Hides Under a Bed**

 **SYDNEY**

I pressed myself deep into the Yagami's sofa and desperately tried to transform into a throw pillow.

 _Come on, BE the pillow, BE the pillow._

But it was too late. She had already seen me. Her heavily mascaraed eyes had crossed mine for just a second, and I saw them flicker at first with confusion, and then her whole body went straight as a board.

Misa was mad.

I shut my eyes tightly, silently cursing myself for letting my guard down.

The Death Note story was still chugging along the narrative train, determinedly set on its tracks, and I was just a discarded pebble under its wheel, totally helpless (and probably about to be crushed by a goth-pixie supermodel).

 _She remembers me. She totally remembers me!_

I've hung out with sailors, but I mouthed swear words that would make them all blush.

I had hoped she wouldn't recognize me from Sakura studios, when I had tried to save Ukita from her pen. That was a stupid assumption. I touched my chest, remembering my heart painfully skipping a beat every time she wrote my name down. _There's no way she'd forget the one person she can't kill with her Deathnote._

Misa annoyed me, Misa frustrated me, but being here, IN Death Note, Misa _scared_ me.

Light was sneaky, L was (frustratingly, at times) logical, but Misa was a wild card. She was crazy. You can't predict crazy. She could launch herself in the air and try to claw my heart out with her bare hands (she might be thinking about doing that right now).

I held my breath.

But no, there was no blonde bombshell in a black lolita skirt barreling towards me.

Instead I could feel her eyes staring holes through the back of the sofa as she mumbled sweetly about Light leaving his _'notebook'_ at school.

My body turned to jello and I silently slid off the sofa and lied flat between it and the coffee table.

Like a-a...a _worm_. See? THIS is what I've been reduced to.

 _Don't come over here, don't come over here. BE the carpet, BE the carpet...wow, this carpet is freakishly clean...BE the carpet..._

Before Misa could step closer to the living room to get a better look at me (or try and stab my eyes out) Light came downstairs and swiftly guided her out the door, smooth as butter, to speak in whispers on the doorstep.

My body was tense again, quivering, my hairs standing on end.

Sayu was peeking at me from around the sofa arm with her eyebrows raised. "Why are you being all weird? Are you a fan too? I can't believe MISA MISA is in our house!" She squealed excitedly. "Mom, would it be rude to ask for an autograph?"

"Yes, dear." Her mother said quietly. Mrs. Yagami's tone seemed disturbed about something.

My heart was racing like a rabbit's.

Any second now, Light would be leading Misa upstairs to discuss Kira related espionage and murder and share their Shinigami. This was a key moment in the story. Was there any way I could interrupt it?

No, probably not. I hadn't been very successful at changing events so far. Except the tennis match. And then, barely.

But maybe just my being here has altered events slightly. Two murderers were sure to gossip about me.

An idea formed in my head. _I wonder…_

I jumped to my feet and, despite my bad leg groaning, raced up the stairs. I yelled something about needing the bathroom over my shoulder to Mrs. Yagami and Sayu, who watched me go with confusion.

But I didn't go to the bathroom.

Instead I opened the door to Light's room.

 _Now, where to hide?_

 **WATARI**

Watari allowed the waiter to seat him at a small table in a dim, private corner of the restaurant. He adjusted his silk cummberbund and folded his hands neatly on the white table cloth.

Classical music played softly behind the din of polite conversation, anniversary dates and high class business meetings.

After a time, Watari looked down and checked his silver stopwatch. When he looked up, Ambrosine seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

She stood gracefully next to the table with her long fingers over the back of her chair, looking down at him with the usual false smile she was so good at fabricating. So good, he almost believed she was happy to see him. Almost.

She was wearing a low-cut, satin green dress and a thin, gold necklace. Her platinum hair was bustled over her left shoulder and adorned with a diamond net.

Watari, back straight as steel, stood up and silently pulled out her chair with a small bow. "There was no need to dress so formally, Madam Renaux."

They both sat down. "I could say the same about you, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you sleep in that suit, Watari."

A waiter approached to ask for their drink order, but Ambrosine waved him away with a sharp flick of her wrist, her gold bracelets glinting in the candle light.

She crossed her legs, her high heel tapping the air, and pulled a compact mirror and tube of lipstick from her purse. She began applying the peach lipstick. "Where is he, Watari?" She said, patting her lips.

"Ryuzaki is regretful that he cannot make dinner, Madam Renaux, but there was an emergency engagement he simply _had_ to attend."

She shut her compact with a loud SNAP. "And he couldn't tell me that over the phone?" She turned her eyelashes on Watari.

Watari dipped his head. "He thought it unfair to deny the Madam a lovely dinner. He will pay, of course."

"Of course." She replied through pursed lips. She crossed her legs the other way. "How long has it been since he broke my heart? Seven years?"

"You seem to be experiencing memory loss. From what I recall, my dear, you don't have a heart."

Her eyes flashed. "Then it was a perfect match, because neither does _he_."

"It wasn't love, Madam." Watari said, exasperated. "You were just using him."

"And what's wrong with that?" She leaned forward, placing her chin on her palm and coyly biting her pinky nail. "After all, _so are you_."

Watari sighed, hiding his irritation by pulling out a handkerchief and pretending to clean his spectacles. "He is very important to me-"

"Yes, yes." She waved her hand again to interrupt him. "Play the fatherly figure all you like, Watari. Whatever helps you sleep at night. We both know you'd never take your claws out of his back. He makes you too much money."

"You're mistaken." He tightened his mouth. "Besides, he's moved past you. There is no reason for you to stay in Japan."

She paused. "Moved past me? Oh? Is there... _someone else_?"

Watari brushed his moustache with his thumb and forefinger and placed his spectacles back on his nose. "That is not my place to discuss."

"I'm curious, is he _her_ toy or is she _his_ this time? Or...perhaps...it's not a _man,_ is it?" She feigned a small gasp, lips curled in a pleased smile, touching her necklace lightly. "I never could tell with him."

Watari stood up. "I think you should leave."

"I wonder if, whoever this _mouse_ is, realizes I taught him everything he knows in bed?"

"We're done here." Watari said gruffly.

"I don't think so." She also stood up, shaking her head, smile growing larger. "I'm considering moving my business to Tokyo. There are so many promising Titans of industry here. I can't wait to bring them all to their knees."

"It won't be so easy this time, he's not the same as before."

"Fabulous. The game isn't fun without a challenge. I look forward to meeting this mouse. After such a disappointing meal," she gestured with false sadness at their empty table, "I could really use _dessert._ "

Ambrosine turned and, with the grace of a swan, left Watari alone in the restaurant.

Watari placed a strand of sweaty, white hair that had fallen in front of his forehead back in place. _He's not going to like this._

 **SYDNEY**

I am a genius.

I am a super awesome secret spy genius. A fly on the wall. A _femme fatale_. Observer of secrets.

I am also lying next to Light's dirty sock, which admittedly it putting a slight dampener on the moment.

Lying in hiding under the bed, barely risking breathing, I watched as Light guided Misa to his room and they began the scene, almost word for word, discussing all matters of notebooks and Shinigami and Misa's undying love for Light bla bla bla.

I couldn't hear some of what was being said, because both Shinigami were still invisible to me, and was almost getting bored. I began wondering if I'd be trapped under Light's bed all night with the dust bunnies, when finally my name was spoken.

I perked up and strained my ears to listen.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Misa said, creepily void of emotion at first.

I _really_ didn't like the way she said 'she'. Like I was some kind of leper. I narrowed my eyes at her feet (specifically her black lace pump wedges), already planning to stick gum in her pigtails the first chance I got.

Misa continued. "I recognize her. I tried to kill her a few months ago. But my notebook hardly had an effect. Rem couldn't either."

Light was silent for a moment. Probably wondering how much to tell Misa. Since she was dangerous to him, and he still needed her. "She was working alongside my father's investigation." He said slowly. "I thought she was close with L and could use her, but she's been cast out recently. Father's taken her in for now. She lied about us dating when she was investigating me, so they think we're close. I'm not sure why she's immune to the notebook, but she's a nuisance, that's all."

"I don't mind if you use _me_ , Light." Misa said in a sickly sweet baby voice.

I rolled my eyes and gagged. _Gross_.

"But," she said, her voice dangerously quiet now, "I don't want you using any other girls or pretending to date someone other than me. I don't even want you looking at other girls. And," she stomped her foot and pouted, "it's not fair that she gets to live with you and I don't!"

"I _just_ told you. I can't get rid of her. Even if I could write her name down it would be bad if she died while living here. It'll throw suspicion on me." Light sounded a tad riled. Like he was reaching his limit.

 _It's different than how he and I talked, that morning over pancakes._ I thought, almost sadly. _At least he wasn't being anyone but himself. His really EVIL self...but still._

"I don't like her. She has a stupid name and she isn't even pretty. If you won't kill her I will. There are other ways to get rid of people."

 _There's that creepy voice again...wait, how DARE she call my name stupid!_ I mentally made multiple rude hand gestures in her direction.

"Are you even listening to me?" I could tell Light was struggling to keep his voice calm and pleasant. He had to be nice to Misa. Misa could see L's name. He needed her to cooperate. I wondered if keeping her happy was a good enough reason to plot my murder.

 _What are they gonna do? Put cyanide in my cereal? Where would they even get cyanide? I wonder if you can buy it online? You can buy almost anything online now._

Regardless, I made a mental note to never leave my food or drink unattended, or stand too close to the subway tracks when Light and Misa were nearby.

Misa's tantrum about me was halted abruptly, and despite the lack of smooching noises, I could tell it was because Light took matters into his own hands and shut her up with a kiss.

 _Sealing the deal. The DEATH deal (chuckle)...I should write a noire book or something. This internal dialogue is pure gold._

But the moment was only a reminder of how he tried the same thing with me (before trying to kill me, of course). Even more irritatingly, he hadn't been a bad kisser. (The thought of which just left a sour taste in my mouth.) But then _THAT_ thought reminded me of how L wasn't a bad kisser either. (Which left a very different taste in my mouth.) Actually, L had been a strangely great kisser, for a guy that, as far as I knew, didn't go on a lot of dates.

And then I thought of the moment we shared on the rooftop...

Which just depressed me further.

 _Here I am, hiding under Light's bed like a goblin person. And Misa is getting all touchy feely with her true love (even though Misa isn't Light's true love, but that doesn't seem to bother him much), and I'm just going to grow into an old, unloved spinster._

 _I need to get out there. I have to get OVER L._ _Who I definitely DON'T love. Because he's a jerk._

It took forever to get over Mikal and allow myself to _maybe_ love again. Then L had to go get coconut-headed by a shinigami and rip my heart into pieces for the second time, that _prick_.

 _It's unnatural. A girl my age (and with my fantastic looks, if I do say so myself - Misa eat your heart out) should be dating. Having fun. True love is overrated. A fling. That's what I need. A rebound._

I heard Mrs. Yagami knock on the door and (subtle as a dump truck), tell Light it was a little late to have a girl in his room (little did she know he had _two..._ ha).

She left, and Light was trying to explain to Misa that _he_ would call _her_ and NOT the other way around, when the worst possible thing happened.

One of the dust bunnies under the bed had drifted a few centimeters and was tickling my nose. _Oh no._ I scrunched up my face as the urge to sneeze became overpowering.

Light was guiding Misa to the door…

 _Don't sneeze, don't sneeze. Just a little longer, just a little-_

"AH-CHOO!"

I froze.

Light and Misa's feet froze.

 _So much for being a super secret spy, you idiot. If he wasn't going to kill you before, he is now._

Slowly, painfully slowly, Light crept towards the bed.

 _Oh no. Oh no, oh no, no no no-_ His fingers curled around the edge of the overhung blanket. But before Light could rip the the blanket away and expose me, the floor disappeared.

I didn't even have time to scream before my stomach dropped to my knees and I fell into an abyss of nothingness.

Light was left staring at the emptiness under his bed with a stunned expression.

Later, after ushering Misa away, he would be up all night thinking very grimly about what happened.

Because he just saw me disappear through a portal.

 **L**

"What-did-you- _do_?" L asked, speaking softly, but every word punctuated. He was the closest to angry that he'd been in (from what he could remember) years.

"I did what you asked. I distracted her." Watari stated simply.

L's fingers were alternating pressure on his palm, tapping the entirety of one of Shakespeare's sonnets in morse code, he found it a good stress reliever. "But _why_ would you tell her about Penny?"

"I didn't."

L cast Watari a look.

"Well...not precisely."

"Do you realize what she will do? I do not have time to deal with her," he waved his other hand in the air in two delicate swoops, " _meddling_. Not in the middle of this investigation. All my attention should be on Kira." Despite his words having a slow cadence, his fingers were pressing faster and faster now.

"I am aware, sir. Do not worry about Madam Renaux. I have taken the liberty of having her closely watched-"

"It would not matter. She is clever. And now she will be angry I missed dinner." L was mumbling into the knuckles of his free hand now, thinking dark thoughts, closed fist pressed tightly against his mouth, while his other hand continued to tremble furiously through sonnet #29.

"Are you worried about... _Penny_ , sir?" Watari asked cautiously.

"Of course not." L said, a little too sharply. "I mean... _no_." He said, trying to sound aloof.

"I see."

"It is just…"

"Sir?"

L closed his eyes, reaching the end of the sonnet his hand unclenched and his fingers went limp. His shoulders seemed to curl forward and he slipped down to the floor, perched on the balls of his feet, burying his face in his knees. "Why are all my ghosts coming back to haunt me during this case, Watari? First Beyond, now Ambrosine..."

Watari placed a hand on L's shoulder. "I know, I'm sorry, sir."

"This is why I preferred to solve cases as an armchair detective. It was much more... _manageable._ "

"Would you like some frosted chocolate gumdrops, sir?"

"...yes."

 **SYDNEY**

Speeding through time and space was getting really old, really fast.

This time a bunch of melting clocks were ticking, loud as a marching band, floating in the pink clouds that I flew past. Three in a row whacked me in quick succession in the head.

 _They really need a first-class option for interdimensional travel. Some free headphones, a neck pillow…_

"OW!"

I landed on my chin in the middle of a cobblestone courtyard. Groaning and touching the bump on my head ( _thank you, flying clock meteorites),_ I looked around. Funky shops and balloon-holding tourists surrounded me. Palm trees decorated the street and I was immediately hit with a wave of sweltering heat.

I dusted myself off, already sweating. Immediately I dragged my blue sweater over my head, tying it around my waist (I was wearing a black tank top underneath), and rolled up my white jeans to my knees. No one seemed to notice my arrival, too busy staring at the blue parapets of a tall, white castle. Or waiting in line for ice cream or cotton candy swirled into the shape of mouse ears. Everything smelled like baking cookies.

 _I'm in…?_

"Orlando, Florida, my dear Sydney. I thought Disneyland, the literal most magical place on earth, might make our meeting... _easier to swallow._ Would you like to try Space Mountain? I have a fast pass."

I turned around. "You." I whispered hoarsely.

There was Jerry, standing with his palms up in a peaceful greeting, wearing _not_ a cowboy hat, but a ball cap shaped like Goofy's head.

"Now, look. I can tell you're angry. But-"

I didn't even think about it. I just swung at him. Before my fist could make contact, he snapped his fingers and I found myself popping out of the courtyard and crashing into the seat of a log ride. The metal bar came down with a SNAP and the ride exploded down the river.

Ahead of me was Jerry, sitting on the log just in front of me, except he was lounging on the back with his bare feet in the water.

There were a bunch of cartoony animatronics dancing around us, including some singing crocodiles wearing overalls. They looked creepy in the dim lighting, surrounded thorny vines and lots of sharp, smiling teeth.

I struggled to move the security bar off my waist, but it was holding fast. "JERRY!" I screamed, voice echoing in the tunnel, my face turning a splotchy red and tears already welling in my eyes. "How could you? How could you do something so evil?"

Jerry just stared at me with calm, cold eyes. "I wrote you a tragically beautiful story, Sydney. I created you. Turned you into the survivor. Put you in a tale where you get to be the hero and find true love." He paused. "You're welcome."

"I didn't want ANY of it!"

"I know. But many of us don't like the stories we're in. And none of us have control over them. So what difference does it make if _I_ happened to write yours or if God did?"

"I don't care..." I breathed, fighting through heavy gasps of overwhelming fury. "I don't care about you killing off my parents, or my Uncle, or sicking BB on me. I don't care about the manipulation, making me question my own reality, or the lying." I inhaled sharply through my teeth and screamed over the bar, hot tears rolled down my cheeks. "I _care_ that you murdered _MIKAL!"_

The orange lights of the tunnel slid over Jerry's eyes. He was silent, and my angry sobs were drowned out by the happy go lucky song the animals were dancing to. We passed a riverboat with a giant water wheel and a row of hillbilly chickens singing from the second balcony.

It was jarring compared to the visceral scene in front of me.

Finally, Jerry spoke. "You weren't supposed to fall in love with him." He said quietly.

"Why did that _matter?_ " I cried.

"Because you needed to love the detective. You couldn't do that if you loved someone else. He had to be written off."

" _Written off?_ " I echoed. "How _dare_ you-"

"And it worked. Something unexpected happened. L got involved. He's never done that before. None of the other fangirls I sent piqued his interest the way you did. You perplexed him. _Challenged_ him. Made him laugh - you did, even if he never showed you." Jerry tipped his hat at me.

I squinted at him, shaking my head. "What are you even _talking_ about?"

"Best of all," he continued without missing a beat, "you gave him a damsel worth saving. Tied to his past demons. Made him responsible for you. It changed _everything_. You have no idea. I'm so excited about the upcoming chapter-"

"This is my LIFE, Jerry! MINE! It isn't a movie you can cut together to be whatever you want!"

"Very true." Jerry agreed quickly, ignoring my outrage. "You keep going off script. I thought for sure you were dead when you let BB push you in the water. But that _investigator_ actually saved you! And then you refused to kill BB - quite the disappointment, I was so looking forward to you dipping your feet in the dark side a little - but L intervened! I tell you," he chuckled, "it's been quite the roller coaster ride."

Our logs tilted back and began to rise up the dark hill. _Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat._ A spot of white light glinted at the top where it drops into the splash zone.

"I thought," Jerry said, "the greatest power I could mold for you was your _will_ to never give up. But it turns out that you giving up is your best feature. Letting your friends help you has done wonders for my plans."

 _Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat._

I stared at Jerry. Numb. "Whatever you want - the answer is no. I'm not your puppet or your pawn. You should just disappear. Maybe I couldn't kill BB, but I have a feeling I'll have no trouble killing you."

Jerry's eyes gleamed green, almost as if they were on fire. "Don't make empty threats, Sydney. Only one of us is capable of killing and it isn't you."

I stared him down, but for some reason fear rolled into my stomach.

"I could drop you in a bottomless pit of acid that takes a thousand years to eat your flesh, I could chain you to an asteroid and let you scream as you careen through space for all eternity, I could leave you in a barbaric alien wasteland naked and alone to be eaten by monsters. Do not test me, Sydney."

"That's a lot of talk, Jerry." I whispered.

 _Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat._

"Clearly the jig is up and you can't be persuaded." Jerry took off the Goofy hat and flung it in the water. "I don't need to play nice anymore. Save L, help him regain his memory and fall in love with you again, give him a reason to _fight_ Kira and live, or I'll make what BB did to you look like a Thai massage."

Jerry snapped his fingers and disappeared.

My log tilted over the edge of the hill, sunlight nearly blinding me, and launched down in a wave of water. I felt my spark tugging me away, and just before I hit the pool at the bottom, disappeared.

Somewhere is a picture of me half-way down Splash Mountain, and unlike other guests at Disneyland, I wasn't smiling.

 **THE YAGAMI HOUSE**

Jerry had dropped me off the same night I disappeared but just down the street, about three hours later, before the sun came up. I shivered and tugged my sweater back on.

Exhausted, I dragged myself back through the front door as quietly as possible.

"Good morning."

I jumped.

Light was sitting in his father's armchair, in the dark, with his hands folded in his lap. "I believe you have some explaining to do."

 **End of Chapter 52**

When life gets me down, you guys cheer me up. As I've said before I do read all your reviews. Even if I'm sometimes a bit anti-social and don't reply. It's really nice seeing everyone talk about themselves, their thoughts, react and have as much fun reading the fic as I do writing it. Your minds go to crazy places, and are actually really great to get me out of a slump and think of new ideas outside the box.

So even though I'm at war with my bank account and it's -35C windchill today and I have to get up at 3am for work tomorrow - you guys and this story really make me smile. Sometimes even laugh out loud. It's really, really nice.

Love you guys. You're all still awesome. (If I could I'd throw you all a pizza party I totally would).

~Satchelle


	4. Sydney Gets a Date

**Chapter 53**

 **Sydney Gets a Date**

 **SYDNEY**

Light seemed...eviller than usual.

 _Eviller? Is that a word?_

He had his fingers folded together in a steeple arch, exactly like a bond villain, with his feet firmly planted in front of him. Dark circles under his narrow eyes betrayed that he hadn't slept. And in the dimness, even the armchair he sat in looked up to no good.

"Look, I know. I know." I patted the air with my hands. "But if you're gonna kill me, can I take a rain check for Friday? I have had such a terrible night, you have no _idea_."

"Is it magic?" Light asked quietly. "A device?"

I bit my tongue, and looked down at my feet. _How much can I tell him? Will Scab knock out his memory too? Actually...that might be preferable._

"Something a Shinigami gave you?"

"There's a lot more than Shinigami out there." I snapped.

Light stood up.

Instinctively I took a step back, my eyes flickered up towards the stairs, where Light's family was sleeping, all I'd have to do was scream.

"You don't have to be afraid of me."

"Really? Superbunny popmodel didn't seem all that keen on me." I whipped around and headed for the kitchen.

"Jealous?" Light stalked after me.

I gave him a disgusted look over my shoulder. Now he was being playful. Why? "Of the sugarplum vampiress? No."

Light was thinking. I could _feel_ it. Probably deciding what to do with me. A small part of me was pleased with that. I wouldn't be as easy to use as Misa.

I knew he was right behind me. I did my best to ignore him. Or at least pretend to.

I (almost defiantly) opened the Yagami's fridge, cold air flooded over me, and the kitchen was momentarily filled with a warm, yellow glow. "I'm making a sandwich, do you want one?"

Without a word, the fridge door gently shut in front of my nose and the inviting iridescence was snuffed out.

I slowly turned around.

Light was leaning over me, his palm on the closed door above my head. His expression was frightening in the darkness. He was way too calm.

 _Why is everyone in this story so much taller than me?_

My back was now pressed up against the fridge door with nowhere to go. "So I take it you don't like BLT's?" My already weak smile faltered, winding down like a slowly dying clock.

 _I should just headbutt him._

Light's other hand reached up and hovered near my neck, trembling. The tip of his fingers brushed my skin, shaping as if to strangle me. An involuntary shiver coursed up my body. His eyes were softer, but somehow that made him scarier.

 _At least he isn't trying to seduce me again. I guess he got the hint that I don't think he's god's gift to women._

He wasn't angry. He was still thinking. Which, with Light Yagami, was extremely dangerous.

 _Is he remembering when he wrestled me to the ground at the hospital, carving my name into his notebook? Does he get off on attempted murder? Or maybe he's thinking about the bar? That rainy night…_

"You should tell me, Sydney. Explain it. You know I'm used to the impossible." He said, his voice barely audible. "I still think we can help each other."

My eyes searched his, back and forth. I swallowed. "Then you should know," I said slowly, throat dry, "that the impossible _stays_ impossible without proof."

This was so different then when my secret was exposed to L. _That_ had been a relief, where this felt like tap-dancing on landmines.

I was trying to think as fast as him. To consider possibilities. Right now Light didn't know what it was. He probably thought it was some kind of teleportation, or walking through walls. Something he could use. To spy or steal. He must assume I could do it on command. If he knew the truth...

A horrible thought crossed my mind.

 _Do Deathnotes work on other worlds?_

If Light found out about travellers, if he was one somehow, or found a way to use one...It wasn't crazy. L was a traveller. Anyone could be.

 _The notebooks don't work on me, but why again? What did Jerry say?_ I wracked my brain. It felt like so long ago. _I think it came down to that I wasn't "cannon" in Death Note. So the Shinigami's magic goblin-fairy rules didn't apply to me. But what if the notebook became a physical object in another world?_

 _If it DID work, and if Light found a way to travel..._

He could move to any universe, any alternate reality, and instill his sickness on any world he wanted.

He would want to be God of them all.

The mere idea made me ill. _Light can't know. I can't tell him._

I held my breath, waiting to see what he would do. If he tried anything he was going to get a sharp knee in a sensitive spot. He was stronger than me but it wouldn't take much noise to make his father come barreling down the stairs. He wouldn't risk it...would he?

After a few tense seconds, the moment where it felt he might choke me to death passed. His hand fell. He sighed heavily, staring into me. "I will find out." He said softly.

I swallowed. That wasn't just a promise, that was a threat.

 _He has no leverage right now. But he will soon. Now that he's got Misa in his pocket. And she has the Shinigami eyes._

It was so frustrating. Not being as smart as L or Light. I felt completely outmatched. It was a struggle just to keep up with this story.

Light's expression suddenly returned to normal. He opened the fridge with a yank, shuffling me to the side, and started pulling out ingredients. "Do you want mustard?" He asked, opening a package of bread.

"I, erm," my eyes fluttered, taken aback, "yes? I mean, anything is fine."

Light proceeded to make us two sandwiches, while I watched, wondering if I had hallucinated what just happened.

 _He's a good actor. Maybe as good as me._ I scowled. _No. No one is as good as me._

Light handed me a plate, and I stared at the most delicious sandwich I'd ever seen. My stomach grumbled embarrassingly.

"I poisoned it."

I looked up, startled, to see Light's eyes dancing in amusement.

"Oh, _ha, ha._ Very funny." I took an enormous bite to show him I wasn't falling for any mind games. I looked him straight in the eye, trying to send a message.

 _If I die IN your house then L, whether he thinks I'm unimportant or not, will investigate for sure. There's no clean way to kill me without using your notebook._

 _Besides. You know I have this power. You don't know much else. I could be dangerous._

Light returned my gaze. _I know._

For now it's a cease fire.

I'll just have to trust that Light will handle Misa.

We sat down at the kitchen table in a strangely comfortable silence. Morning sun, pink and purple, chased away the shadows in the house. Light turned on the TV so we could watch the news at a low volume.

I checked to see if they were reporting criminals and if Light was committing them to memory, but now they were only discussing some important baseball game coming up this weekend.

I felt so tired.

 _The Yagami house isn't safe. There are too many murderers in a 100km radius of me. Why couldn't I be transported to a happier place? Like a musical or something?_

The bizarre image of L, Light and the task force all dancing across a Broadway stage singing ballads and pirouetting flashed like a hot pan in my mind. I cracked a smile. _Now, I'd pay to see THAT._

Footsteps pitter-pattered down the stairs like a little machine gun. Sayu stopped halfway and leaned over the railing. "Oh, great, you're up! It's time to get ready for school, Ellanor! First dibs on the bathroom!" She raced out of sight.

I groaned and let my forehead fall on the table. "Just kill me." Light opened his mouth but I held my hand up. "Wait, don't answer that."

Now it was Light's turn to grin. Whether it was genuine or not I couldn't tell.

I dragged my exhausted body out of the chair and begrudgingly followed Sayu. "Fine! But I refuse to learn _anything_! I'm sleeping through math, just so you know!" I called after her.

I glanced back sadly at Light from between the banister, but he wasn't facing me. Sometimes I got the tiniest glimpse - that there was something irritatingly likable about him. Maybe because he was so smart and young, I saw who he _could_ be. A good cop like his dad? A politician who genuinely cares about the world?

Again I felt myself wishing there was a way to save him too.

 _It's a lot harder to save someone from themselves._

 **L**

L had gotten into the habit of checking in on Penny during school hours.

He told himself this was just to keep tabs, she was inconsequential to the case, he knew that now.

But there was something darker bothering him, just at the back of his mind.

A guilt was nagging, a little fish hook pulling on his conscience.

The only connection he and her shared was Beyond Birthday. And it wasn't a particularly unique connection either. Beyond had victims far and wide, and he liked to play games.

Beyond was also one of the reasons L was always quick to accept the supernatural possibilities of Kira's powers. There were inconsistencies with Beyond's murders, impossible timing or methods of torture involved, the other children at the orphanage always reported experiencing nightmares with his face, and Beyond was too good at evading authorities to not have some trick up his sleeve.

Then there were the things L had seen, in A's... _Adam's_...desk. Drawings and scribblings of things Adam had discovered about Beyond during their relationship. Strange things.

There were two guilts that L could identify.

The first was Beyond's existence itself. L felt responsible for all his potential successors and the resulting waves they made. He knew the pressure. Adam's suicide would haunt him to his grave. Beyond's resulting sanity snapping was the same.

This was a guilt he usually swallowed down, and kept down.

The second and more troubling was Beyond's fixation on Penny, specifically.

Why her? And what had Beyond done to her? L knew the physical wounds of the attack on the rooftop, after all, she was in the hospital for so long, he had seen the records.

But how long had Beyond been chasing her? Was she truly smart enough to evade him for months...years? Or had he been toying with her, torturing her mentally by keeping her running and scared?

L felt more and more like the recent explosion of events on Penny's life was his fault, especially since his return to the spotlight with the Kira investigation.

He even hypothesized that perhaps Beyond had sent her to him on purpose, fed her just enough information to make her seek him out for help, and tailing her in order to exact his revenge on L.

L also wondered, and never out loud, if Beyond had thought L was _actually_ in love with Penny and not just pretending for the sake of the case. L had seen the report and pictures from the alley writing in blood. _'She's mine.'_

Had that been a message to Penny's alleged attackers? Or had it been a message to L?

 _Stay away._

 _You can't have her._

 _She's mine._

It would explain the rooftop incident almost perfectly. L knew he wouldn't have kil...he'd never...he always thought of Beyond and Adam like little brothers...only if it was self-defense.

And if his present mind was forming these thoughts, then his past mind must have too. Perhaps that's why he went on the fool-hardy rescue mission alone.

Because he felt responsible.

For Beyond, or Penny - or both.

His past...thinking about it gave him terrible headaches. His actions and subsequent motivations still remained a mystery to him. Locked in a box in the recesses of his synapses. It was frustrating feeling at odds with oneself.

Faced with all these facts currently, he thought some of his methods with the girl were extremely unusual.

L wanted to _know_. Was there a key piece of information, something he didn't write down in his reports, that he was missing. That would explain (what he now thought was) his erratic behavior?

What would drive his past self to behave in such a way?

It couldn't be infatuation, which is what Watari kept teasing him of. L found most women... _off-putting_ (to be fair, they usually found him off-putting too). Besides, he normally preferred blondes. And only when he needed to clear his head when working a particularly difficult case. Strictly physical, never love...

He promised himself, never again, not since Ambrosine-

L, irritated with himself for remembering that woman, purposefully pulled up a window on his laptop to check in on Penny again.

He had taken the liberty of installing better cameras, with microphones in all the frequently trafficked areas of her school.

There was something slightly entertaining watching her talk back to teachers, pick-pocket the security guards and skip class by hiding in the teacher's lounge while eating all their food.

Curiously, she was also slowly creating a hierarchy at her school with her at the top. Using her recent internet fame, and apparently some rumour she had Yakuza connections, she was growing a solid base of subordinate students.

Today, she was sitting on a throne of desks, arranged like a pyramid, and having a line of people bring her cake. She wasn't even eating it.

 _Hmmm. Cake. There's an idea..._

L was sitting cross-legged. On his knee was his open cellphone. He tapped a small message to Watari to make a special order to the kitchen.

When he looked back at the screen, Penny was now running a cake-eating contest and it appeared the winner would get to be her second in command for a day.

A PING sounded. He glanced down at his phone again.

 _'Hello, darling.'_

He deleted the message.

Penny was declaring it World Cake Day and decreed everyone in school HAD to have a slice. L thought that was an extremely sensible idea.

PING.

 _'Avoiding me? How mean.'_

Delete.

Her peers were lifting her up on her chair over their shoulders bat mitzvah style, cheering.

PING.

 _'I know.'_

Del...His finger paused over the button.

 _'About your new playmate.'_

Too vague. She was fishing.

Delete.

The students had filed out by now, heading to their final class. Instead of following, Penny was left alone, standing in the middle of the hallway.

L leaned in closer to the monitor.

She looked sad.

Something in his chest stirred.

L quickly retreated and shut the laptop.

PING.

Without looking, he took his phone and dropped it in his cup of coffee. It sparked once, then went dark.

It didn't matter. What mattered was the Kira investigation. He had received a report from Mogi about a celebrity visiting the Yagami house and was already following the leads about her.

If L was right...and he always was...she might be the key to proving Light isn't as innocent as he pretended.

That was definitely more pressing than any problems Penny was having.

Definitely.

 **SYDNEY**

I had decided to skip final period.

During math I had fallen asleep at my desk, and maybe it was because of the nervous encounter with Light, or what Jerry had said, but I had woken up after a horrible nightmare.

BB was there, except he was just a gigantic floating red eyeball in a black room, and he was shouting fractions at me. I kept trying to dodge them, or they'd burn my skin.

I woke up shouting "7/8ths is trying to _kill_ me!" And everyone stared.

I hate fractions.

I always used to cheat off of Mikal's work.

And thinking about that only made me more depressed. And made Mikal's ghost return, at full force. He kept doing harmless things. It was maddening. Like drinking at water fountains. Or leaning over my shoulder to check my homework. Or following me around in window reflections. But he never had a face. And it was getting harder and harder to ignore him.

So I distracted myself.

I had started taking _slight_ advantage of my authority at school. It began harmless enough, besides, I deserve a little adoration, being Ellanor Krispois, and all. At first, I was just asking people to fetch me a textbook I had forgotten, then see if they'd write my English paper for me, then see if a teacher would let me bring fireworks indoors (that one didn't go so well, I had to dial it back for a few days), then it...sort of...spiraled.

The school was convinced of Yakuza connections. That I could order a hit anytime. It was fun...a bit isolating, but I wasn't here to make friends. If not for the Chief, I'd be long gone.

After World Cake Day, and everyone had tidied up (fun fact about the Japanese, they hate litter, which is really different from my time in New York, where even the pigeons throw garbage in the street), they all left to go to class.

And I stood, by myself, staring down an empty hallway.

Mikal hovered, just at the end of it, waiting for me in a half-shadow.

I didn't move. I just looked at him.

It was like he wanted me to join him. To follow wherever dead people go.

But I had already been through this, with BB's apparition of Mikal in the castle. Inviting me to everlasting wealth and happiness. It wasn't real. Just like this wasn't real.

I sighed, looking at Mikal's empty face, longing to run into his arms. But Jerry had stolen that from me. Mikal might have had a chance if it wasn't for him. He could've survived heart surgery. He could've, he could've...

And now Jerry wanted me to _make_ L fall in love with me.

Jerry clearly didn't know that L had faked the romance to string me along while he solved his mysteries. That it all had been a lie. A blissful lie I might have continued believing if it hadn't been for Scab's interference.

How was I supposed to _make him_ fall in love with me anyways? L was an emotionless robot. Who didn't remember me, didn't even _like_ me. Probably hadn't given me a second thought since he kicked me off the case. He just saw me as this damaged runaway kleptomaniac.

Screw Jerry. I wasn't scared of him. Let him toss a meteorite at me.

No, that wasn't true. Jerry was scary. I knew he was capable of whatever BB had done to me times ten. Murder, torture, manipulation of time and space - nothing was off the table for him. He'd probably torment me until I broke, like I did with BB, and I'd do his bidding anyways.

Maybe I could just make it _look_ like I was doing my best. Throw him off the scent. I made a face. If I was taking too long Jerry would probably insist I knock on L's door wearing nothing but a tight brazier and fishnet stockings.

 _Would L even like fishnet stockings?_

What was I saying?

 _Of course he would. ALL men love fishnet stockings. L would probably-_

Do _not_ think about L ripping off your stockings. _Stop it,_ brain.

I groaned.

I hate this. I hate being attracted to L. I hate his stupid dark hair and his stupid dark eyes and that hunched way he walks around that's actually super cute-

 _STOP._

I didn't _want_ to make L fall in love with me. I wanted a rebound. Just a nice guy to go on a date with. Someone to help me forget L and Mikal and BB and Kira and everything in between.

Was that too much to ask of the universe?

I shut my eyes and dug the knuckle of my index finger into my forehead. I was just having a bad day. It's okay to have a bad day. Everything is going to be okay.

My fingers were itching. I really, _really_ wanted to steal something. A wallet, a purse, a car. Anything. Maybe I could sneak into my teacher's desk drawer and steal the answers to tomorrow's pop quiz...

"Hey?"

I looked up. "Oh, hey, Donovan, I didn't see you there."

 **L**

L had locked the laptop in a drawer.

For no reason.

At all.

He had been reviewing some evidence pulled off the mailed copycat Kira tapes sent to Sakura studios. The papers swam in front of his eyes.

And he was busy...

...eating….

….a banana cream puff….

….which was extremely important for his cognitive-

L retrieved the laptop from the locked drawer. He placed it on the counter and flipped it open, licking the banana flavoured fluff slowly off his lips. He gazed intently at the video on screen, reaching in the box for another treat.

" _You want to go out on a date...with ME?" Penny asked incredulously._

L's elbow slipped and he accidentally crushed the crisp outer-pastry of the puff between his fingers.

" _Well," a boy with red hair was rolling back and forth in a wheelchair, waving two pieces of paper in front of her, "the baseball game this weekend is a big deal here. And you know the handicap seats are the best ones."_

 _Penny laughed._

Why was she laughing? Who was this boy anyways? L made a note to do a background check.

" _I'm sorry, I don't mean to be weird. I'm...No pressure." The boy said nervously._

" _No, no. I was just thinking. It's not, erm. I didn't have the best experience the last time I was in a baseball stadium. That's all."_

 _The boy's face fell._

L, satisfied, starting cleaning his fingers one by one.

" _But that doesn't mean-I mean, oh, I'm really bad at this. I'd love to go!" Penny grabbed the ticket from his hands._

L's mouth slowed, lingering on his thumb. He stared at the screen. In a single motion he picked up the box of pastries and threw them in the trash.

He wasn't hungry anyways.

 **MEI**

Mei listened, hidden just around the corner, as Donovan asked the Canadian girl on a date.

Her heart beat furiously against her chest, her face flushed. She clenched her fists together and bit back tears.

He barely knew her! She was so weird! Did he not think it strange she kept changing her name? Or that she suddenly learned Japanese overnight?

Mei remembered their first encounter months ago, when Ella or Sydney or whoever she was ran up like a lunatic asking where to find Toho University.

Now Mei wished they'd never met.

What was so great about her? Was it because they were both exchange students, or because she was famous now? She was everywhere online. All the students kept close tabs with their camera phones. There was at least one new video a day.

Mei fiddled with her tie, looking down at her feet. Did Donovan think Ella was prettier than her? Even though she'd finally gotten her braces removed? Her chin trembled.

"Hey... _you_." Kimiko strolled up, looking Mei up and down like she was a lost kitten with matted fur and fleas. "I forget your name. No, I don't need to know what it is. What? Is that rude? Sorry, sometimes it's hard to tell." Kimiko stopped, tilting her head. "What's wrong?"

Mei launched herself at Kimiko, putting a hand over her mouth to keep her from giving them away, and quickly pushed her back down the hallway and around another corner.

Kimiko threw her off, sputtering. "Ew. You've totally smeared my lip gloss. Is it on my teeth? Can you tell?"

Mei looked over her shoulder. "Shh. Listen. I need your help."

Kimiko's face broke into a wide smile and she started clapping and hopping up and down. "Oh, yay! My next project! I was waiting for my whole 'being nice' thing to pay off. What do you need? A makeover?"

Mei squinted at her.

"Oh? No makeover?" Kimiko slowly looked her up and down, her eyes flicked back to Mei's face. "You sure?"

"Yes. And shhh!"

"Well, what then? GASP. A slumber party? O.M.G. Should we invite Ella? We can do each other's nails and I have the most fabulous cucumber face masks and-"

"No!" Mei said as loudly as she dared. "No. Look. I-I need to go...to a baseball game."

"Gross."

"To-to spy on Donovan. It's wrong but...he asked Ella out on a date. I-I have to know." She said meekly.

"OH. FUN. And creepy. I LOVE it." Kimiko clasped Mei's hands in her own, eyes glittering. "I'm so in."

 **MISA**

"The dark web is an interesting place, Rem." Misa was lounging on her bed in her underwear, laptop open, painting her nails a sparkly black and slowly typing green letters into a blank window.

Rem floated dutifully inches above the floor, watching in silence.

"It's not hard to find. A lot of Kira's supporters operate in here. A lot of them want to help." The text glowed eerily in her eyes.

" _Light will not approve, Misa."_ Rem said in her usual, slow way. Her voice always sounded strangely deep, as if she was underwater.

"Once it's done Light will thank me. It's for his own good."

" _Light Yagami is dangerous."_ Rem continued.

"Oh, don't get started on that again. He's my prince. And a prince can't have two princesses." Misa hit enter.

The screen flashed twice.

"There, it's done. Once the request is accepted I'll destroy my hard-drive and bury it where no one will find it." Misa giggled and rolled over, staring up at the posters on her ceiling. "It's all coming together." She clapped and wiggled her feet. "I know it's early but we should start planning the wedding! Light would look so dreamy in a tuxedo." She sighed happily.

Rem watched her silently. Light made Misa happy, even though she knew he was only using her. Misa hoped it would one day turn into love.

 _Light Yagami is not capable of loving anyone._ Rem thought darkly. She wished Misa had picked a different human to give herself to.

Rem gazed at the laptop as the screen started to blink.

"Ooh! A hit already! He's pretty expensive. But I guess a murderer isn't something you cheap out on, huh, Rem?" Misa smiled at her Shinigami. "By this time tomorrow, that annoying girl will be out of the picture and I'll have Light all to myself!" She hugged her pillow to her chest. "Isn't it wonderful? Who needs the Death Note when you have the internet?"

 _Yes. Incredible how quick humans are willing to kill each other._ Rem had watched the human race from the pools in the Shinigami realm. They rose and fell, ant colonies gathering together, only to be crushed be a rogue foot.

Rem gazed at Misa intently with her single, yellow eye, thinking about how fragile humans are, how easy it was for them to die. _I will not let Light Yagami, or anyone else, harm you, Misa. I promise. My bones are hollow and my blood is dust, but you are full of life in every way my home world is not._

 _I will preserve you the way Gelus gave his life to preserve you._

If that meant the other girl had to die, so be it.

 **End of Chapter 53**

Sydney's life is such a soap opera. I love it.

Special thanks to reviewer LadyAsteria37 who laid out her thoughts about what thinks the relationships between L, Watari, Beyond and A are like. (I _told_ you guys I read them haha). Really got me out of my writer's block and back into L's head space.

So this chapter is dedicated to YOU! *Cue balloons and streamers and confetti* WOOT WOOT LADYASTERIA37! YOU DA BOMB!

L can be hard to write sometimes so I hope I'm still doing him justice. He's adorable.

Love you guys.

Thank you to those telling me to stay warm too. -35C the other week and the heating at work died. Why do I live where it's cold?

See you next time.

~Satchelle


	5. The Kitten and the Hitman

**Chapter 54**

 **The Kitten and the Hitman**

 **SYDNEY**

"I...have...a...DAAAAAAATE!"

I was dancing in circles around the school fountain, occasionally clicking my heels in the air or hugging random students that passed by.

I am not going to grow into a old spinster and die alone! I've got _game_! I've got _moves_! Donovan, the smart (and cute) British exchange student totally thinks I'm _HOT_!

I held the sports ticket up to the sunlight like it was made of gold and going to grant me entrance to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

 _Thank you, universe!_

Mikal was watching, of course, a little rippling image in the fountain's waterfall, but right now he was so small I hardly noticed.

I hugged the ticket to my chest happily.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I whipped around. My happiness burst with a near audible POP.

Jerry was sitting on the other side of the fountain, wearing a little round bowler hat and a matching English suit, like he just stepped out of a Charles Dickens story.

His jacket was folded next to him, suggesting he'd been there a while, though I knew that was impossible. On top of it was a small, shaking Chinese take-out box, with something mewing inside.

He was gloomily reading what _very_ much looked like a comic book...except if I leaned forward a bit there was a character that _kind_ of looked like me-

Jerry shut the book with a snap. "Tell me this is a plan to make him jealous."

I nearly crushed my ticket. "Get...out...of here." I hopped off the edge and marched towards him.

"You are being very _difficult,_ Sydney." He looked irate, more so than usual. I noticed a tiny scratch on his cheek, like a cat's claw mark.

"Then, sure, it's a plan. _Whatever_. Now clear out or you're going in the water. Don't think I won't tackle you."

Jerry sighed heavily. "Why must you make everything a battle?"

"You tell me, you wrote my story, didn't you? Don't you just LOVE to throw that one in my face? If I'm obstinate then it's _your_ fault."

"Aren't God's children supposed to love their creator?" He looked up wearily at the clouds, but there was a foreboding amber twinkle in Jerry's eye.

 _And fear them_. I thought.

But I wasn't going to let HIM know that. "You keep referring to yourself as a God, Jerry. Spending too much time around Light?"

The wind whistled through the dry autumn leaves. A few loose orange flakes fell down and landed in the fountain, slowly sinking to the bottom.

The _something_ in the box mewed again.

"What's that?" I nodded at it.

"Oh, lunch, if I had my way."

The box didn't seem to like that and started rattling angrily.

"Just a troublemaker." Jerry waved his hand. "You probably don't remember, but you've met. Like Beyond, dreams are a...specialty...of his."

I saw a tiny, purple paw poke through a hole in the box. I frowned. _That's weird._ The box had swirling symbols scrawled across it in what looked like dried blood, or maybe just paint.

"I'm sending him to the fifth dimension for a time-out." Jerry said, like that was the most normal thing in the world.

"Why are you here, Jerry? Didn't we _just_ talk? Cut to the point, I'm not playing along with all your riddles."

"Well, the truth is, I'm not really sure if you'll survive this chapter, Sydney."

I stared at him. "...It's just a baseball game."

"I'm not threatening you." He slung his coat over his shoulder and picked up the small box. "I just can't see what happens next. I couldn't when BB was blocking our path and I can't now. I'm just trying to warn you."

"If I survived BB then I can survive _'whatever happens next'._ " I scoffed, crossing my arms.

Jerry shrugged. "It would be a real anti-climax if you died now. So please try not to." The wind picked up and some dust flew into my eyes, when I blinked them clear, he was gone.

What frightened me was that Jerry actually looked worried.

 **IN THE 5th DIMENSION**

"Will you stop torturing poor Cheshire?" Monk asked, sitting on top of a giant winged mushroom flapping in the starscape. The old man's mohawk was an electric blue, and he was wearing white leather with silver studded spikes.

"Can't you see it's the other way around? He's been taunting me for months! I see his tail and his smile everywhere. It's infuriating!" Jerry stomped his foot on a couple binary suns and started a small supernova chain reaction.

"Yes, he's meddling, but you can't blame him. So many people have forgotten his Wonderland story that his world is falling apart. The last Tim Burton movie didn't help matters."

The starscape had melted into an endless kaleidoscope of patterns. Monk was picking out all the little blue diamonds and eating them like popcorn.

"Then he can find a new home somewhere else! I hear the Marvel Universe is always looking for additions." Jerry waved away a couple giggling ovals that floated too close to his face.

"What are you so afraid of? Don't you have everything under control?"

"Don't mock me. I was THIS close to winning our bet. You better be taking good care of my hat. The detective will get his memory back and the Kira kid will be squashed and the universe will turn upside down and-."

"You'll see, you'll ALL SEE!" Monk imitated the declaration in Jerry's voice, pointing a shaking finger at him.

"Shut up! I told you, it's all under control."

"You know the more you _say_ something doesn't make it more true, right? Don't even THINK about throwing that triangle at me, Patricia will have a conniption."

"Relax, it isn't sentient." Jerry poked it with his finger and the floating pink triangle exploded into a million winged jalapeno peppers.

"Let me take Cheshire. I'll put him to work at my night club. Have you been there? On a little asteroid near Pluto's aquarium? It's very happening. He can work the psychedelics in my light show. He's got an aptitude for that stuff."

"Fine." Jerry tossed the box to Monk. The box hissed angrily. Jerry folded his arms and looked away, huffing. "Is everyone still mad at me?"

"You're lucky that when the detective killed BB all the sparks he'd eaten went back to their owners and reset the board. But they're all still pretty furious. For that and...the other thing."

"They won't be when my plan works."

"We were friends once, Jerry. For that sake I am keeping the others out of your hair. But this can't go on forever. The Canadian girl is only human. We can see the cracks forming already. It might take longer than if BB had just stuffed her organs in a jam jar, but she's going to break eventually."

"Maybe." Jerry bit hit thumbnail. He was now sitting cross-legged on the nose of an impossibly enormous beast that had passed by, gaping maw open, another universe resting safely on its tongue. "I was so focused on her surviving Beyond Birthday's test that I didn't think about the psychological damage afterwards."

"Let her have some fun. Who cares about a baseball game? She can't be heroic every chapter. You gotta chill out, man."

"You mean...like a filler episode?"

"Yeah! Exactly."

"I don't know if that's a good idea…"

Monk clasped his hand on Jerry's shoulder. "You could use a vacation too. You're stressed. I've got a free guest pass to the Crystal Chandelier pocket dimension, we can break a few hundred thousand. It'll make you feel better."

"I _could_ use a vacation…"

"It's settled." Monk motioned his hands like he was playing air-guitar and he (and the cat in a box), popped away.

Jerry shrugged. One day's vacation couldn't hurt…could it?

 **SYDNEY**

The week before the baseball game was taking way too long, and also not long enough.

I realized I hadn't been on a date in forever.

I didn't exactly have a roster of boyfriends I could claim experience with. I just didn't spend time in places where girls get asked out, like coffee shops or clubs, or if I did I was usually there to steal something.

 _Should I get a haircut? No, I just had one. Should I put on makeup then? Do I wear something cute? What's cute anyways? Mikal never really seemed to care about how I dressed._ _I always wore whatever didn't have a security tag and was on the rack closest to the exits._

I walked circles around the local discount mall, staring at rows of clothing, touching the fabric of dresses and blouses between my fingers, getting lost in the cosmetics section. I ended up leaving with nothing.

 _What are we going to talk about? I don't know anything about baseball. I'm going to look like an idiot._

I sat in the stairwell at school, holding my head between my hands, trying not to panic. I was avoiding the cafeteria, where I knew Donovan would be.

 _This isn't normal. I usually have so much more confidence. What is WRONG with me?_

"Ellanor?" I dragged my eyes up.

Kimiko was leaning over me one step up, golden hair falling past her shoulders. Since allying with me (the Yakuza Queen) there'd been no more bullying or water balloon incidents, so her makeup was flawless. "Something wrong?"

I could have cried. "How do you do it? You look like a sailor scout."

"The secret is lots of moisturizer." She said it like it was absolutely vital.

"Kimiko, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need your help."

"That's two people this week." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Er...Nothing."

"Can you...I'm going to regret this...can you take me... _shopping?_ " I shuddered. "Like, where we _actually_ pay for stuff?"

Kimiko's curious expression slowly morphed into an ecstatic smile. "Ooooh, is it for your big date?" Her eyes glittered and she wiggled her eyebrows.

"...If you're going to make fun of me then I swear I will wear socks with sandals, I have no shame." I stood up in a huff.

She grabbed my wrist in panic. "Wait, WAIT! You can't do that! It's a crime against _fashion_!" Kimiko straightened and pressed her finger to her chin. "I wonder if this is a conflict of interest?" She mumbled.

"To what?"

"Oh, nevermind." She waved her hand dismissively in the air. "It'll be fine. Chinese wall."

 _Wha…?_ Had I just made a terrible decision confiding in Kimiko? I would have asked Mei to go shopping with me but she'd been acting really strange lately...

Kimiko leaned forward (invading my personal space) and _veeeeery_ slowly looked me up and down. "Hmmm," She pointed a peach glitter nail at me, "you have very _earthy_ tones and the freckles are a tad _too_ 'girl next door' but perhaps that can work for you...maybe some nice blues or violets would-"

I held my hand up. "Okay, before you rip my self-esteem to shreds, could we just _skip_ the before photos and jump right into the after?"

Kimiko scrunched her lips to the side. "Fine. Meet me in Ginza before you're date, I'll text you the location."

"I don't have a cell phone." _The last one was given to me by L and you threw it in a pond._

Kimiko seemed to realize this too, because she blushed. "Ah, well, um...Oh! Hold on!" She rummaged in her purse and pulled out three cell phones. "Which one do you want? I have more at home."

I stared for a second, then squinted at her. "Why do you…?"

"They're for matching different outfits."

"You're making that up."

"No, really!" She insisted. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Here, just take it." She shoved a little rose-gold coloured phone in my hands. "After school on Friday! Don't forget! Um, don't tell Mei, ok?" And she raced away.

I watched her curly hair disappear through the stairwell doors. _But...why can't I tell Mei?_

 **FRIDAY**

 **L**

L peeled apart the gold foil caramel wrapper and carefully smoothed it out on the floor.

Wrappers were strewn from his position in the centre of the room, spiraling out in bigger and bigger circles.

Silent as a ghost, Watari appeared in the doorway. "Are you tackling a particularly _difficult_ problem, sir?"

 _I'm never alone for long._ L placed another caramel between his teeth. "What did you think about her?" He suddenly asked.

"Who, sir?"

"Penny."

L slowly chewed another caramel, savouring the salt on his tongue, and waited to see Watari's reaction.

But the old man's expression was calm and serene as ever.

Watari was never surprised.

"I thought she made a welcome...distraction. You usually keep people at arm's length. But her..." Watari made a small shrug, "you let her right in."

L returned his gaze to the wrappers on the floor, his eyes flitting back and forth, calculating a formula in the pattern of circles only he could see. "Did I explain why?"

"No." Watari stated. "But she did speak with you on the phone, and after that you were determined to see her in person."

L licked the back of his teeth. _What could she have said to make me break protocol?_

The soles of Watari's shined oxfords shuffled on the hardwood. "You then insisted on investigating her. However, she proved very...evasive."

"She lied." L corrected.

"Yes, frequently and sometimes," Watari admitted, "she was quite funny about it. In my experience people who hide behind humour are lying to themselves more than anyone else."

"From something painful?"

"Or to make a wall. To be cautious. Keep people away. For protection. People like that have been hurt before."

L stood up, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Are you commenting on _my_ habits, Watari?" He gently nudged a wrapper back into its proper place with his toe.

"Not at all."

 _Of course you aren't._

"My notes said she acted like we were friends, like she knew me." L kept his tone light and casual, but he was pressing.

No one knew him. He had made sure of it. He had destroyed any evidence of his old life when he became 'L'.

"She wasn't intimidated by you, if that's what you mean. She was very good at guessing your moods. Even outwitted a few of your usual tricks."

"So you thought it was good, for me to have a distraction?" L glanced at him.

"Of course. 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy', as the quote goes." Watari chuckled.

 _Let's see how he does under a little pressure._ "But what would you do, if it went too far?"

Watari adjusted one of his silver cuff links, tugging down the sleeve of his suit. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"What would you do...if I fell in love with another woman?"

Watari's fingers paused, he didn't reply right away.

 _Interesting._ Careful not to step on any of the wrappers, L started to slowly walk across the room towards the door.

Watari cleared his throat. "It is your life. I can only offer advice." He said quietly. "As your guardian it is my duty to help you whenever and wherever I am able."

"But what if I stopped working a case? Or any case? Like before, with Ambrosine?"

"You were unhappy with Madam Renaux." He stated stiffly. "You came to that realization on your own. You did not need me to interfere."

"But you WOULD interfere?"L took another step, stretching his shadow over another ring of gold foil.

Watari blinked. He then shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What would you do, if you were not 'L'?"

L stopped a few feet from Watari, shoulders hunched, arms close to his body and hands hidden in his pockets. He tilted his head to the side, eyes settling calmly on Watari's face. "I do not know. What would _you_ suggest?"

Watari interjected. "You are giving this too much thought. Focus on the Kira investigation." He advised. "Girls like that... _thief..._ are temporary. Your legacy...THAT is forever."

"I...see."

"If that's all I should be returning to my duties." Watari turned his back to walk away.

"One more thing, old friend." L moved so fast Watari did not see the hand until it was already gripping his shoulder.

Watari froze.

"When I left the hospital, you were the one to provide me with the notes I wrote about Penny's investigation, weren't you?"

"That's correct, sir."

"But does it not seem _unusual_ I would leave out a crucial piece of information? Like the details of that first phone call?"

"Strange indeed, sir. But since you do not remember writing them, I suppose..." Watari, equally fast, brushed away L's hand, turned, and stared him straight in the eye, "we will never know why."

"Yes…" L mumbled, gaze not wavering, "I suppose so."

Watari bowed, "I shall return later tonight," and swiftly left the room.

Leaving L a lot to think about.

Like the cost of a baseball game ticket.

 **SYDNEY  
**

The rest of the week had been excruciating.

Sayu was disappointed I wasn't taking her shopping, the Chief kept looking at me in silent, almost fatherly disapproval since he _knew_ I didn't have any spending money (and I had too much pride to ask him for any) and assumed I was up to no good, Mei was avoiding me for some reason so I couldn't ask her what Donovan liked, and Light had turned into a hermit pretending to 'study' and had locked himself in his room again.

But the worst was Mrs. Yagami. She was giving me such a cold shoulder that every time I entered the same room it felt like I was being buried in an avalanche of tension.

I did my best. I offered to help with chores, to run errands, but somehow I always did it wrong, and she would fuss and end up doing it herself. I tried to assist Sayu with her homework (not that I'm all that smart myself, Japan's school system is kind of on another level compared to America) but she insisted I was 'distracting' her. During dinner it felt like she was practically slamming food onto my plate.

No one seemed to notice she was angry but me.

It wasn't _totally_ bizarre. I get it. I had intruded on her perfect home life. (But people usually LOVE me. I'm so darn likable, I mean, just LOOK at my adorable face! Who can hate THAT? Besides, I'm Ellanor Krispois now! I'm popular!)

It just made any time spent in the Yagami household awkward and uncomfortable.

And weirder still, the whole week it felt like someone was watching me. But every time I looked over my shoulder, no one was there.

I started attributing it to nerves and cut down on my caffeine.

 _Finally_ Friday afternoon came and I was free to escape to Ginza. Kimiko was waiting for me, sporting large designer sunglasses, a long sheer tank top reaching down past her knees, and a pearl pink purse. "We have so much work to do and so little time." She said, shaking her head.

"So...is there a Wal-mart around here or an H&M or…?"

Kimiko paled. "Oh, you poor, ugly duckling. Don't worry. I shall turn you into a swan." She leaned in waaaay too close again and whispered in my face. "Do you trust me?" She whispered solemnly.

"No." I told her flatly.

"Too late! Let's GO!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me inside the mall.

The mall was a tall, steel skyscraper. Inside were floors upon floors of extremely expensive name brand stores, all gold and marble and crystal.

I whistled. _I would LOVE to steal something from in here. I wonder how many cameras they have and where the blind spots are? I bet they have timers..._

I had a neat handful of cash at the ready (from... _somewhere..._ you don't need to know...it _really_ doesn't matter...okay, I MIGHT have borrowed it from Light's piggy bank...I don't _care_ if Aizawa or the Chief would be disappointed in me...Light WASTES his money _anyways_ throwing out portable TVs and perfectly good chip bags so don't...look, first thing next week I'll try to get a job, maybe Donovan can hook me up at that cafe and… _)_

It didn't end up mattering (so you can stop _judging_ me) because Kimiko was charging everything to her Platinum card. When I tried to protest, she waved it away. "Just a small gift. It's nothing." She would say each time she swiped it.

I asked her what her family did. It was just _so_ boring I've already forgotten. ("Something something _business_ , something something _trading stock",_ you get the idea.)

Although there was no haircut, we did have my hair curled by a professional. Normally it was a messy, wavy tangle. But now I marveled at how soft it felt. My nails were already ruined again, so they buffed and shined and dipped them in something that Kimiko assured me was necessary. Then she had two people pull at my eyelids and prod my cheeks with makeup brushes and by the end of it I thought it made me look exactly the same, but Kimiko insisted there was a HUGE difference.

While I was being pampered, Kimko was delighted to discover I actually had extensive knowledge about high end brand names and designers (a skill I HAD to know to make sure I never stole knock offs - I kept that detail to myself) and we chatted about the differences between Cartier and Burberry for hours.

Girl time was actually...nice. Kimiko was _really_ trying to make up for the pond incident, I could tell she was on her best behaviour and working hard to be helpful.

We spent some time in the mall's arcade (Kimiko takes Dance Dance Revolution VERY seriously) and it was funny watching her turn her nose up at all the kitsch in the tourist trap shops.

I also didn't have to watch what I said or fake being myself around her. It was freeing.

She was actually impressed I had lived in New York for so many years (she said it was very 'happening' over there) and was enthralled by my stories (she was completed invested in my drug lord escape on the Hudson in particular). It was fun to have an audience again.

I learned a lot about her too. She had a mother in Paris who was apparently a supermodel (she pointed her out on the cover of a few magazines).

"I'd _love_ to visit, Paris is _glorious_ in the autumn." Kimiko said longingly. "But mom doesn't like to be distracted from work."

It didn't escape me that Kimiko was pretending that didn't upset her.

"But, where do you live?"

"My uncle has a three story penthouse, he works a lot so it's always empty. I used to invite all my friends over before they…" She looked down at her feet. "It's a lot quieter there now." She whispered.

"Friends who drop you because you're improving yourself aren't good friends in the first place."

Kimiko nodded at me, but I could see her eyes watering. "Oh, look at the time! We better hurry!" She launched right back into shopping.

 _Well, that's something to think about._ Maybe Kimiko wasn't as shallow as I once thought.

Her fashion sense had no apparent rhyme or reason that I could decipher, Kimiko seemed to be picking out clothing at complete random, holding them up to my frame, then putting them back. It took awhile for her to accumulate an outfit she liked, and by then I was out of breath from chasing after her.

She even picked out a champagne coloured set of lacy lingerie, which I protested the loudest over. I wasn't exactly sure what she thought _happened_ at baseball games, but Kimiko charged it to her card anyways.

"But what if it goes _really_ well?" She asked, winking. "Don't you want to be prepared?"

(No. No I don't. Because that's just...I'm not gonna…shut up.)

She then grabbed the pile of clothes she'd collected, like a magpie, and shoved me kicking and flailing into a change room and blocked the door. I banged on it, but she just simply shouted at me. "You can't come out until you've tried it on!"

Kimiko waited expectantly. It had been quiet for a while. "Ellanor…? Don't be embarrassed. We can always pick something else-"

Slowly, I opened the changing room door.

Kimiko gasped and clutched her hands in front of her mouth, eyes nearly watering. "You look _amazing_." Mouth gaping, she slowly raised her phone and took a picture. "Your fans are going to _love_ this." She whispered.

I was wearing a long, lavender skirt and wooden wedges with white lace straps. My ivory shirt had sleeves that cut off at my elbows and a neckline that scooped down. My hair was left long down my back and I was wearing tiny pearl clip-on earrings.

I blushed. "Will I turn back into a pumpkin by midnight?"

Kimiko screamed and grabbed me, she started jumping up and down happily. "If you get married and have babies can I be your maid of honour?"

After the shock wore off, I laughed and patted her on the back awkwardly. "Sure thing."

Kimiko's phone beeped after she paid for the outfit, interrupting the celebration. She read the message. "Oh it's…" Her eyes flicked up to me guiltily. "I, um, have to go!"

"But wait! You sure it isn't too _fancy_ for a baseball game?"

"It's never too late to start looking like a girl!" She shouted as she raced out of the automated sliding doors.

 _She just left me._

 _Alone._

 _In a skirt._

A cold wind rolled through the shopping complex.

 **UNKNOWN**

I waited, patiently, for the girl to be alone.

It was taking longer than I anticipated. I had promised one day and it had been a week. The client would not be pleased.

I was watching her from behind a newspaper, sipping coffee. Her routine was erratic, but mostly she didn't venture far from school or home. Shopping was clearly a rare activity…

...and my opportunity.

I abandoned my still steaming cup and followed her.

She was wandering the halls of the building, clearly waiting until it was time to go somewhere. It must be some kind of special event, because she had changed into entirely different attire.

I would have to make my move before she left.

After poking her nose in a few stores and repeatedly checking her phone for the time, the mall cleared out of most witnesses.

I made sure to keep my face obscured from any security cameras by holding my sleeve over my face.

Business had boomed since Kira had taken out a lot of my professional competition, but all the more reason to take precautions. He might have been good for cash flow, but I didn't want to end up another body on the news with a heart attack.

The girl saw a 'DO NOT ENTER' rope over a hallway under construction, considered it for a moment, then passed underneath.

She was making it too easy.

I slipped beneath the rope and silently followed, staying in the shadows of columns and construction equipment. The lights were dimmer here, flickering, the marble floor torn up to reveal concrete underneath. Several wires poked out of the ceiling.

She was staring upwards, muttering to herself. "I wonder if the ventilation system here has any sensors…maybe I could bypass…"

I crept closer, withdrawing my knife from my coat pocket. I would cut her jugular. It wouldn't be clean, but there'd be no screaming, and it'd be quick, no DNA evidence left behind.

Closer...closer…

My foot nudged a loose piece of marble, it clattered across the floor.

The girl whipped around, saw the glint of metal, and raised her arm.

I lunged desperately, slashing at a wide arc.

She turned, instead of her throat my blade cut her arm, just below her shoulder. She cried out and stumbled back.

But good luck struck again, she had backed into an open janitor's closet.

I approached my prey, knife raised. "Nowhere to go." I growled.

 **SYDNEY**

I backed into the janitor's closet, reaching behind me for anything, anything at all, that I could use to defend myself with. The smell of carpet cleaner and bleach filled my nose, and I watched with increasing apprehension as my assailant lumbered ever closer.

I wrapped my fingers around a mop, holding it tightly. The pain in my arm where he cut me stung with every beat of my heart, and my vision swooned, but I managed to keep steady. With a shout, I swung it out in front of me, jabbing the attacker in the stomach.

He keeled over, holding his middle and gasping in pain, but it didn't last long. Enraged, he raised his knife, and I held up my mop like a wounded gladiator facing a hungry lion, feeling the hairs of panic lift on the back of my neck.

"Listen, if you want to kill me, do it tomorrow! I have a date tonight!"

(A/N: Did that look familiar to you? It should. 33 chapters is a LONG time for a cliffhanger to pay off haha. Better late than never.)

I barely got a look at his face. He was wearing a hoodie and had dirty blonde hair. But his eyes were cold and lifeless, like marbles.

 _Oh, I wish I wasn't wearing a skirt._ Ignoring the throbbing in my arm and using a rush of pure adrenaline I screamed like a lunatic and rushed forward, pointing the mop handle javelin-style. I pushed him backwards, then raised the handle up, smashing it into the bottom of his chin.

He teetered off balance.

Then, something _strange_ happened.

In a puff of smoke, a purple kitten exploded into existence right above my attacker's head. He dropped directly down and started clawing him, hissing, hackles raised.

My attacker screamed and tried to throw the kitten off, but it only made it dig its claws in deeper.

The kitten seemed to look at me and I could have _sworn_ it grinned, before both it, and the man, disappeared in another cloud of smoke.

I didn't waste any time.

I raced out of the closet like a bat out of hell, eyes wide as a frightened horse. I didn't look over my shoulder, just leaped over the barricade rope and back into the main alcove.

People were milling about, shopping, chatting. A few gave me weird looks. I realized I was bleeding all over the marble.

Breathing so fast my chest hurt, I tried to calm down and walk slower. _What do I do? What do I do?_

 _Do I report this to the police? Aizawa? What am I supposed to say? That an adorable kitten with dyed purple fur appeared out of nowhere and rescued me? Am I dreaming? What did I do to deserve this? Why was someone trying to kill me? What…_

I ordered my brain to stop thinking for a second. I paused just outside a pharmacy. My eyes dropped to my arm. The cut wasn't deep, just a graze, really, but the sleeve was ruined. Kimiko would kill me.

 _She's clearly going to have to get in line._

It could have been Light.

 _No. He isn't that stupid._

Then who else…?

DING.

I watched the blood snake down my arm, eyes narrowed. I clenched my bloody fist.

 _MISA!_

 **End of Chapter 54**

So much for filler episode, eh? (Don't worry, maybe I'll do a random chapter where everyone is chibi and in a game show or something lol). Couldn't help it. Writing this cheers me up. That cliffhanger was waaaaay overdue anyways. XD

In a deep, over-enunciated announcer voice:

" _Will Sydney still make it to the baseball game or exact revenge on Misa? Exactly HOW many chandeliers did Jerry break? Is L falling for Sydney all over again? What did Watari DO? Will Kimiko and Mei ruin the date?! FIND OUT, NEXT TIME, ON FOREVER THE FAITHFUL FAN, DAYTIMES at 6PM EST!"_

Okay, I'm having too much fun now.

But thanks for having fun with me.

~Satchelle

PS: It's gonna get JUICY next chapter. PREPARE THYSELVES!


	6. Baseballs and Flowers

**Chapter 55**

 **Baseballs and Flowers**

 **SYDNEY**

What do we know about Misa Amane?

She was a model and a popular actress. She had a unique brand of style. She loved Light Yagami.

And she was a mass murderess.

I sat on a bench just outside the mall's pharmacy, slowly wrapping up my arm. I had to change shirts (Light's allowance _did_ come in handy), buying a black t-shirt with a punk band on the front. It clashed with Kimiko's outfit, but I had bigger problems now.

 _Misa can't kill me with her notebook, or sick that Shinigami, Rem, on me. So she hires a hitman to follow me. No wonder I've been paranoid all week._

Day was quickly turning into night. The baseball game would start soon.

I can't go to the police. How would I explain the cat? Or the convenient 'poofing out of existence' of all the evidence? Going back to the hospital after two months handcuffed inside was also out of the question.

 _Do I just do nothing? Pretend it never happened?_

No. Misa couldn't go unchecked.

I glanced at the clock on my phone. _I have time._

What I needed to do was send a message to Misa. Show her I was a lot harder to kill and I wasn't going anywhere. Or she might try this again.

And, I admit, revenge would taste oh so sweet.

A quick internet search told me what agency she worked at. _Hopefully Kimiko won't mind me using her data._ I read the address and gripped the phone tightly.

Let's get to work.

I took the train to a three story concrete office building not far from downtown. The inside lobby had lots of fake plants and a nice waterfall feature to make it look classy.

I wasted no time and walked right up to the receptionist who was wearing pink lipstick and smokey eyeshadow. She was holding her corded phone to her ear when she glanced up at me. "We're closing in five minutes."

"This won't take long." I said, voice saccharine with false cheerfulness. "You might not know me but my name is Ellanor Krispois. I've recently become an internet celebrity and I'm looking for an agency to launch my career!"

She fumbled and nearly dropped her phone. She looked me up and down, eyes widening with recognition. "Oh! Oh, of course Krazy Krispois! Sorry!" She looked mortified. "I meant _Miss_ Krispois! I didn't recognize you in...in _that_ interesting shirt!"

"Yes, I'm starting a new fashion trend today. I call it - _'Rock Top meets Ballroom'._ " I made a rainbow motion with my hands. "It's gonna be all the rage in 24 hours."

"I-I'm sure!" She punched a button on the phone and leaned forward on her desk, whispering. "Shimeru, Ellanor Krispois just walked in. Get _out_ here." She smiled up at me again quickly.

A man with thinning hair and thick glasses burst out a door, falling over himself. He skidded to a stop in front of me, grabbing my hands and shaking them in excitement. "Miss Krispois! _So_ glad you came to us. We've been trying to get in touch. How can I help you? Do you need anything? A sparkling water or-"

"No need. Misa told me ALL about your agency."

"You know Misa Amane?"

I threw my head back and touched my chest daintily, laughing. "Misa-Misa and I - we're like, besties. She is, like, totally my spirit animal."

"She is one of our _top_ clients! And is very happy with our services. We just landed her a part in a movie with the music star Hideki-"

"Yes, she told me. Here's the thing," I twirled a strand of hair around my finger, "I want to tip my toe in the water first, you know? And I'd be a LOT more comfortable working WITH Misa on my first project, you know?"

The agent faltered. "W-well, the script is already written…"

I cut him off. "I have more twitter followers than two of the Kardashians." I said plainly, (I don't actually know if I do, but it sounded impressive) then leaned in close to speak in his ear. "And I would be _so_ excited to use ALL the tools at my disposal to promote this movie AND your agency."

Shimeru's face went blank for a moment, but I'm pretty sure I could hear the KA-CHING sound effect from how big his eyes got. "...Let me make a few calls. But-!" He reassured. "I'm sure we can work something out. Oh, here comes my boss now!"

As if on cue, the elevator doors across the hall dinged open and a woman exited. The knocking sound of her heels echoed throughout the room.

All three of us turned to look.

She had long, platinum blonde hair and full lips. Her face looked like it was carved from marble. Her pencil skirt and green mini-blazer made her look like she had just stepped straight out of a Vogue cover.

Shimeru bowed in the woman's wake. "Ellanor, may I present to you, Miss Ambrosine Renaux." He said with regal deference.

I faced her squarely.

Renaux was the most put together person I had ever seen. Every fingernail, every brush of makeup, every clasp and button was _perfect_. Her hair fell effortlessly. She walked like she owned everything and everyone.

But her eyes. There was something clever, almost dangerous, behind the way they flashed in the light.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and reminded myself I was Ellanor Krispois, and it was below my station to stare.

Miss Renaux held a leather folder under one arm and graced me with a perfect smile. "I'll be your agent." She said, her voice thick with a silky Paris-French accent.

I could already tell that the happy-go-lucky, bouncy, girly persona wasn't going to work on someone like Renaux, so I swapped it for something more professional.

" _Bonjour, Madame."_ I said quietly and regarded her with an Ellanor-ish eyebrow raise. As if to say _"So?"_

"Ah, you are _Canadienne_?" She said. "You know the language?"

" _Oui, quand j'etais enfant."_ I found myself blushing, certain I was screwing this up. _"J_ _e parle un peu le français."_ Compared to her, my French sounded like it was coming out of a cheese grater.

She smiled again. "You speak it fine. A little nasally." She tapped her nose. "But Canada has always had a more _archaic_ grasp of the language."

Warm feeling gone. Did she just call my country dumb?

Shimeru clasped his hands together quickly. "Miss Renaux has recently purchased our agency, she was a popular actress in France."

She cleared her throat, fingernails clicking on her folder.

"Erm, is." Shimeru corrected. "IS a popular actress in France."

"You purchased the agency..." I said slowly. "And you're also an agent?" She looked in her mid-thirties too. Bit young for a tycoon.

Miss Renaux waved her hand. "I like to be involved in my businesses. I have many."

Uh-huh.

I continued my own, award-winning performance, and pretended to be pleased. (I _really_ wanted to stick it to Misa, even if it did mean putting on a show). "I'm excited to start working with you." I bowed politely. Then I turned to Shimeru. "You're a superstar, Shimmy!" I pointed finger guns playfully at him and started backing away. "Sorry I got to shop-talk and run, but I have a date."

He smiled, dabbing nervous sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "Of course."

Miss Renaux regarded me with a cool, collected gaze. "Would you like me to call you a car?"

I paused, already halfway out the door. "What kind of car?"

* * *

The limo was white.

Blind your eyes, bleach your teeth, first snow on Christmas WHITE.

I was excited, but Renaux was watching, so I had to act like I took limos all the time. (And I have, recently, although that night was a bit too fuzzy to remember). I gazed at it with a _'This will do'_ expression.

Unfortunately, Miss Renaux decided she was going to a similar part of town, and we shared the ride. So I couldn't act as appropriately excited as I felt.

The seats were _so_ comfy. The leather was smooth and clean. There were snacks. Like, caramel popcorn, but the kind where the caramel was probably boiled to perfection in a golden cauldron on top of Mount Olympus sort of popcorn.

And complimentary champagne.

I had a feeling refusing a drink would be outside of Ellanor's character, so I accepted a flute of champagne and clinked it with grandeur against Renaux's.

It did not escape my notice that she barely sipped hers, or that her eyes were locked onto my face from over the rim of her glass.

"So why did you choose my agency?" Miss Renaux asked.

"Misa Amane." I replied without hesitation.

"You are friends?"

" _Oh yes._ We go way back."

"You seem to know a lot of people in high places."

I laughed. "Anyone with a camera phone can become a celebrity these days. I'm sure it was much harder to become a celebrity the classic way."

"Indeed." She said, but did not elaborate on her career any further. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, placing her chin delicately on the curve of her hand. "Have you ever considered a serious acting career?"

"Well...I want to be in Amane's movie." I replied slowly.

"That little pop movie will come and go as quick as the seasons. But _you_ seem to be a talented actress already."

My smile flickered. _Why did I feel like I was trapped in a cage with a predatory cat?_ "You think so?"

"I make it my business to keep track of all the rising stars. Internet fame is fleeting. If you want to make it last, you'd do well to follow my advice." She leaned back, eyes glittering. "How do you feel about _romantic_ roles? Those are my specialty, and I've been looking for a new _protege_."

"Romantic?"

"Of course. You have…" The way she looked me up and down was slow and personal, like I was a wet rag and all my flaws were being wrung out of me for her to see. "A very _exotic_ look for Japan. You would do well here."

I hesitated.

I had never really thought about what I wanted to do with my life. I briefly considered college, but I failed to qualify. When Mikal died, I didn't try again. I'd never looked past my pickpocketing career.

And acting wasn't that different from lying, was it? And who was the greatest liar I knew?

Aside from _him..._

L's face, frustratingly, came to the forefront of my vision. I was going on a date, I didn't want him anywhere near me.

Renaux seemed intrigued by my pensiveness, leaning forward in the car, so I reversed my expression. This whole detour was initially intended to send a message to Misa, but maybe playing actress could be fun. Who knows?

I might even like it.

(And I would let the Canadian comment slide, just this _once_ ).

I held my hand out. "I look forward to working with you." And I meant it.

Renaux took my hand, and I was surprised by her strong grip.

Her smile showed all her teeth.

* * *

The limo pulling up to Tokyo Dome attracted me a lot of attention.

Which I liked. Let them stare and take pictures. I'm a celebrity now. Time I got a little recognition.

I thanked the driver with a generous amount of Light's stolen cash, and he tipped his hat at me before he left. Renaux rolled down her window just before the car pulled away.

"Don't forget, dear. I will schedule a proper meeting for us soon."

I waved until she was out of sight, ignored the chill running up my spine (I wondered if Renaux had that effect on everyone), and then tried to put Renaux and her interest in me to the back of my mind.

I had a date, after all.

I turned, and stood in front of the stadium for a few seconds in awe.

You get used to big buildings, growing up in New York, but the arena was HUGE. It looked like a crystal egg cut in half and glowing with a thousand and one white lights.

Illuminated neon letters sat high above the doors.

'TOKYO DOME.'

It was crazy busy, and clearly a popular tourist destination as I wasn't the only foreigner looking lost.

Next door was an entire amusement park with a ferris wheel and a rollercoaster ride, there was a Bubba Gump Shrimp across the street and Tokyo Prism Hall too, and lots of metal art pieces dotted the clean, stone landscape.

I lingered out front, clutching my ticket in my hand.

 _Should I really be going on a date after someone tried to murder me? Am I right in the head?_

After everything I'd been through, this was practically tame in comparison. Misa wasn't as creative as BB.

I looked down at my ticket, tightening my fist. And I really, _really_ wanted to go.

 _If I_ _ditch_ _my first ACTUAL date because of a little knifey to the arm then the terrorists win._

That settled it.

I hurried inside and presented my ticket at the desk.

The lady reviewed it, almost bored, then, after a second, her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. She snapped her fingers.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a security guard emerged beside her.

I took a startled step back. _Am I being arrested? What did I do?_

But the guard gave a small bow instead. "We are honoured by your presence, please, follow me, ma'am."

 _Huh._

 _Well, I'm not gonna argue with that._

The man lead me down an exclusive hallway, jumping ahead of the line (I couldn't help but stick my tongue out at all the people glaring at me), up an escalator and passed a sign that said _'Diamond Class'_. He opened a door. "Follow the ramp, your seats are at the end." He bowed again, as if I was royalty.

Pleased but confused, I cautiously walked up the ramp. I could see the players warming up on the crisp, green field. Huge spotlights made the entire stadium light up like daytime, even though the sky was black and cloudless above.

To my right, sitting in a cordoned off section, in a row all by himself, was Donovan. He had a special spot that was wider, perfectly fitting his wheelchair and was wearing ripped skinny jeans (but the fancy kind that was ripped on purpose), converse sneakers and a fashionable tank top with chains sewn onto the front.

His face flooded with relief when he saw me.

I winced. _Whoops, I guess I AM a little late._

Beside our row were tables with what appeared to be exclusive hot dog, popcorn, snow cone and (gasp) nacho machines. Two waiters stood behind them, ready to serve us at any time.

"Oh, wow, Hotwheels. You really…I mean…holy cow! You went all out. This must have been so expensive, you didn't have to waste your money on me!" I threw myself down next to him, happy to finally be there.

On the field were two teams, a red and blue team, finishing their warm ups. Their faces were blown up on a few big TVtrons around the stadium.

Donovan's cheeks went red again. "Well, I didn't pay for it...not _exactly_ anyways."

A strand of loopy hair fell in front of my face. I brushed it away and looked at him quizzically. "Oooh, did you counterfeit the tickets? Don't worry, I've done that before." I chuckled.

"No! Actually, you see…this is so embarrassing…" He wasn't just red anymore, he was firetruck red. His face actually matched his hair colour. "You know how I said my dad was in real estate and was in town on business?"

"... _Yeah_?"

"Well, he actually _buys_ real estate. And he just purchased Tokyo Dome."

A cheer rose through the crowd as the music started and the players found their field positions, ready to start the game.

I stared at Donovan, almost a deer in the headlights. "So you're like...like... _rich_? Like, Bill Gates rich?"

Donovan looked down at his wheels, not able to make eye contact. "Kind of. I try not to advertise it. People treat you different, you know?"

"W-wha...but...wait, hold on, why are you in public school?"

"Same reason." Donovan shrugged, almost sadly. "You have no idea, people use you all the time. My father tried to fight me on it but I stood my ground. I wanted to be normal."

Something about what he said rang true in my ear. It was the same reason Mikal had given me for not telling me about his medical condition. I glanced sadly at the field, mouth tightening, but there was no Mikal collapsed on the pitcher's plate this time.

" _I wanted to be normal."_

My heart thumped.

I reached out and lightly touched Donovan's hand, which startled him. "I get it. I won't tell anyone. It's pretty cool, actually. You're like Bruce Wayne on wheels or something." I laughed, and Donovan's mood seemed to lighten.

"You look really nice, by the way. I love that band." He pointed to my shirt. I looked down (the band included a strangely familiar blue haired guitarist with a greasy moustache).

Donovan was rewarded with my biggest smile.

His eyes seemed to glaze over for a second as he stared at me. Then he shook his head, remembering something. "And, I um, got these for you." He grabbed a bouquet of yellow flowers from the chair beside him and handed them to me.

I held them, completely surprised.

"What is it? What's wrong? You're not allergic to lilies, are you?" He panicked.

"No, it's...it's just...this is really nice." _Don't cry in front of your date. Don't cry in front of your date._ "I...I haven't been treated like this by a guy in a really long time." I said quietly. "I'm not sure I even deserve it."

"Of course you deserve it!" Donovan said immediately. "You're amazing! You're smart and funny and beautiful and-" Donovan stopped, blushing again. "Man, I am really making a fool out of myself." He muttered. "I swear I'm usually a lot cooler than this, you just make me really nervous."

"I make the billionaire nervous?" I nudged his shoulder playfully. "Hey, is that nacho stand just for show because I'm starving!"

Donovan grinned. "One giant nacho plate coming right up!"

I smiled and sunk deeper into my seat as he rolled over to the stand and began drowning an enormous pile of nachos in a swimming pool of cheese.

Already the memory of the stranger attacking me was melting away. Misa was a distant problem. I looked back at my flowers and smelled them.

 _I think I like dates._

 **SOMEWHERE IN THE STADIUM**

Above the cordoned off VIP area, three pairs of eyes were not watching the game, but paying close attention to Sydney and Donovan's date.

Two of them were wearing very poor disguises, complete with large sunglasses, hoodies, giant #1 foam fingers, and fake curly moustaches. They were sharing a pair of binoculars (and a bag of popcorn).

"He got her flowers!" Mei cried, her heart breaking. She stuffed another depressing fistful of popcorn in her mouth.

"And _what_ is she doing wearing that horrible t-shirt? That did NOT get Kimiko Namikawa approval!"

Mei gave Kimiko a questioning look.

Kimiko started to sweat. "Um, nevermind! Heh...heh. Look!" She pointed, trying to distract Mei. "They're eating off the same plate!"

"NO!" Mei shouted, aghast, and ripped the binoculars from her hand.

"On the plus side, you picked a great guy to obsess over. He's clearly got cash if he can splurge on private seats like that." Kimiko said, touching her chin thoughtfully.

"It won't matter! What if they keep dating? What if they kiss?" Mei gasped. "What if they get married?"

 _Then I'll be their maid of honour._ Kimiko thought giddily in a sing song voice, but kept it to herself and patted Mei comfortingly on the shoulder.

There was something kind of familiar about Donovan, now that she had spent so much time spying on him. Kimiko wondered if her family had ever done business with his.

Kimiko pondered this, her eyes boredly wandering the crowd, when they settled on another figure.

He was a few rows down and diagonal from them, much closer to the VIP area.

He wore baggy jeans, a green cargo jacket and his jet black hair was matted down around his ears by a blue baseball cap. He was sitting strangely, having taken his shoes off, his toes curled up on the edge his seat.

What interested Kimiko was that the man, like them, was also not watching the baseball game.

He was watching Donovan and Ellanor.

"Hold on…give me _that_." She snatched the binoculars from a protesting Mei and adjusted the lens, zooming in on his face. Kimiko's jaw dropped. She jumped to her feet, pointing her foam finger in his direction. "Oh my god! I know him! That's the guy!"

"What guy?"

Kimiko's legs started to shake. "The _scary_ one."

"What are you _talking_ about? Stop making a scene! We're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

Kimiko sat down, eyes fixated on his blue baseball cap. "The one who threatened me after I beat up Ellanor." She whispered. "Oh, he's so evil! That creepy panda-NO. Pandas are cute! He's more like a-a-a sneaky raccoon! Why is he here? Is he some kind of bodyguard?"

"Maybe he'll try and break them up?" Mei said, eyes hopeful.

"I'm going to go talk to him."

"WHAT?"

 **L**

 _So he gave her flowers._

Their date appeared to be going extremely well. Both of them were laughing, eating unusually cheesy nachos, and after doing a background check L knew the boy's name was Donovan Ashworth.

L had actually done work for the Ashworth's before, many years ago. It had been an interesting case...

 _She touched his hand again._

Watching them made his mouth taste sour, and he wished he had thought to purchase something sweet from the vendors before sitting down.

L had noticed the bandage peeking out underneath Penny's sleeve right away, even though she kept pulling it down, trying to hide it from Ashworth. Something must have happened after school…

L stiffened.

 _Does she not see that her shirt's neckline has shifted and her bra strap was visible?_

Ashworth had clearly noticed, he was staring right at it.

 _Is she completely oblivious to how she affects men?_

L paused. _Man._ He corrected. _One man. Singular. Ashworth._ Who was obviously smitten with her. _Not me._ L was immune to...well...to _that._

He wasn't at all picturing how he would slide that strap down her shoulder, or the way her smooth skin would feel under his fingers, or how she'd turn her head just slightly to expose her neck, inviting him to kiss her pulse...

L's fingers clutched his knees tightly, digging into the fabric of his jeans.

He could not think straight. He could not sleep. Sugar didn't satisfy this craving anymore.

L wished he had left her file unopened. Left her a stranger. All his notes indicated he had been using her. Now he wondered if he had hidden something, something he could not include in any digital document or paper trail. Did they have a relationship? Were they friends once? More? Was that why she had reacted so miserably when he dismissed her? Why she had cried? He had made her cry…

L was reeling now.

No, she was just a distraction.

Then why did he keep picturing her?

Picturing her mouth, what it would feel like, _taste_ like. Picturing her blue eyes under heavy, dark lashes. The curve of her back, his fingers entwined in hers...

L bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. Ordering himself to snap out of it.

There was something there. His brain didn't understand it but his body did. What had she _done_ to him?

He didn't _want_ her to laugh for Ashworth. He wanted her to laugh for _him_. To touch _his_ arm. To hold _his_ hand.

He abruptly stood up.

Something was wrong with him. He needed to get out of here. Why was he doing this? This minor act of rebellion against Watari's wishes? She was just another victim on a case. A personal case, maybe. But that's all. She was not even his type.

And even if she _was_...

A dark thought pursued him as he took long strides up the concrete steps, stuffing his hands into his pockets, not bothering to put on his shoes.

She would not be interested in him. Not after the way he had looked down on her. And she had someone already too. Someone who could give her flowers and take her to sports games. Clearly better suited for her than him. L was a recluse. An armchair detective. What did he have to offer?

He shook his head. This was not like him. He did not obsess about women this way. He had other, more important things to deal with than simple carnal urges. It must be because of Ambrosine's return. She'd thrown him off balance. Why couldn't he have forgotten about her instead? All those bad memories...

His feet and his thoughts stopped when a pair of beige chelsea boots blocked his escape. His eyes slowly rose.

A blonde girl in sunglasses, a miniskirt and a fake moustache was holding an enormous foam finger like a baseball bat.

L was taken aback by the strange sight.

She was shaking and glaring at him, like she was both scared and angry, but he didn't recognize her at all.

L moved to step around her, but she screamed "RACOON!" in fright and swung the foam finger, smacking L in the face.

The stadium full of camera flashes and baseball fans tilted, and L careened backwards into open space over the stairs. His hat gently lifted off his head.

Someone screamed.

 **SYDNEY  
**

A scream drew Donovan and I from our nacho eating bliss.

Without warning, a body fell like a stone down steep steps towards our section.

I jumped to my feet, alarmed, nachos falling to splatter on the concrete.

The same fate would not be for this person, though, as they twisted their body at the last second with practiced grace, and landed on their feet and one hand.

I recognized the capoeira before I saw his face.

L was perched across three steps, one arm flung behind his back for balance, looking very unlike himself in a denim jacket. His chest was heaving up and down, more from adrenaline than exertion. Slowly, he turned his head to look at me.

A blue baseball cap fluttered from several rows above, and landed at my feet.

I wasn't sure I had ever seen the expression that followed on L's face before. Like he was a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

He looked guilty.

Someone else came barrelling down the stairs, screaming in a high pitched voice. " H. MY. GOD. RACOON! YOU'RE NOT DEAD! I'm so so so sorry!"

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. "Kimiko...what are you...is that a moustache?"

Kimiko ripped her sunglasses, hood and fake facial hair off in one move, flinging them behind her. "That's right! It's me. Fairy Godmother of your date! Sorry I threw your bodyguard down the stairs, Ellanor, I don't know what came over me!" She laughed a tiny, bell-like laugh.

Donovan rolled up beside me. "Bodyguard?" He asked, looking at me quizzically. He then saw L, and suddenly he looked stricken. His face paled.

I didn't have the brain cells left to understand Donovan's reaction. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out what L was doing here. The L that I knew didn't go to sports games.

Was he here for me?

L seemed to realize that we were getting a lot of attention. Too much attention. The cameras of the big TVtrons were trained on our group. L kept his back to them, hiding his face.

He cast me one last look of regret, and then ran full tilt, making his escape down the exclusive diamond class ramp.

I took a step forward.

Donovan grabbed my hand.

I looked back over my shoulder.

"Do you know him?" Donovan asked, a lot more forceful than I expected.

"I…"

"Do-you-know-him?" He asked again.

Kimiko gasped and threw her hands to her mouth dramatically. "Oh my gosh. You're not going to run after another man, are you? Not on your first date!"

I slowly pulled my hand from Donovan's grip, stepping down the ramp. "I...I'm sorry! It's not what you think! I-I have to go!" I shouted, but I was already running after L.

Donovan and Kimiko's figures grew smaller and smaller until disappearing entirely as I turned the corner. I tried not to think about the heartbroken look on Donovan's face.

I saw the flash of a denim jacket disappear at the far end of the hallway and raced towards it.

Inside Tokyo Dome was a concrete maze.

L had longer legs and was faster than me (and he wasn't wearing wedges), I picked up the pace. I caught sight of a bare foot going down a stairwell. I crashed through it. Deeper and deeper.

Frustration rose in my gut, but I propelled my body forward.

I entered a narrow, dimly lit hallway and hurried down it. I passed clothing racks full of glittery costumes. People were busy getting dressed, checking their mics and reviewing checklists on clipboards. Almost everyone ignored me.

Just when I was about to give up, a door flung open and a hand burst out, grabbed me by my collar, and pulled me inside.

The door slammed shut.

Before I could scream, the hand pressed against my mouth and pushed me up against the wall. Two charcoal black eyes stared at me from over the hand, inches away from my face.

My heartbeat slowed.

Familiar scents of paper and coffee filled my nose, and something sweeter, like chocolate. Scents I hadn't realized I missed until now, and it made me dizzy.

 _L?_

He waited until he was certain I wouldn't scream, and then lowered his hand.

My eyes adjusted to the pale light streaming in through the crack under the door and the tiny room came into focus.

 _Oh, come on._

"Did you know this is the second time today I've been pushed into a broom closet?" I whispered hotly.

From the confused look on his face, I guessed not.

"Nevermind."

His eyes slid to my injured arm. "Is that how you got hurt?"

I grabbed my arm with my one hand, covering up the bandages. "None of your business. You know what else isn't any of your business? MY DATE."

L winced.

There was something extremely satisfying about having a one-up on L. I chased that feeling.

"What are you _doing_ here? Are you spying on me?" (It was not _exactly_ out of character for L to do that. But usually he preferred cameras.)

Jerry's words echoed somewhere in my memory. _"Tell me this is a plan to make him jealous."_

The thought was alien. L? Jealous? It wasn't possible. He didn't even remember me.

Did he?

I squinted at him and leaned closer. This time it was L who took a step back. He hadn't blinked once, like he was studying me, fascinated by something, but now he seemed to hold his breath, almost as though my proximity was an uncertain variable to him.

I stood on tiptoe and looked him directly in the eye. "Do you remember my name?" I asked, deadly serious.

L's eyes flicked back and forth. He seemed to be trying, but there was zero recognition.

 _No._ I thought, disappointed. _He doesn't._ I lowered back down. "Are you here for some case thing? Is it because the second Kira said they'd attend a baseball game? Why not just send Mogi or Matsuda for that?"

 _It wouldn't matter anyways, Misa already found Light._

The tip of L's brow furrowed slightly. "How do you know about that?"

"I know lots of things. Criminals make a habit of it, you never know what might come in handy for all our _criminal activities!"_ I threw my arms in the air, voice dripping with sarcasm.

And then, L did something I did _not_ expect.

Gently, he wrapped his hands around my wrists. He kept one in the air, and brought the other down between us and turned it over, tracing the lines on my palm with his thumb. Like he was studying it.

His expression was thoughtful, and his eyes...when they flicked to look at me directly, sent a shiver down my whole body.

He took a step forward, closing the gap, and I instinctively took a step back, but there was nowhere to go. Just the wall. My back struck it with a light thud. My heart pounded in my ears.

L kept my one arm bent in the air over my head, and pressed the back of it against the cold, concrete wall, spreading out my fingers with his own, entwining us together.

" _Do_ I know your name?" He asked breathily, leaning forward, his face inches away from mine.

 _Woah_.

Now this was a side of L I had never, _ever_ seen.

I swallowed, aware of the hot, red blush creeping across my nose and cheeks. His mouth was so close. I couldn't help but stare at it. Thinking of our kiss in the rain. It made my chest flutter.

 _I don't think I can handle this._

The ridiculousness suddenly struck me as funny. I could take on psycho serial killers, a hitman, and a freaky puppet master dimension travelling god.

But I couldn't handle a man?

I didn't mean to, but I laughed.

The chortle bubbled up from my throat and slipped past my lips before I could stop it. My cheeks swelled as a smile got through. Another chuckle.

L reared back, the impassable wall risen again in his expression.

"I'm sorry," I held my hands over my mouth, unable to stop it, "it's not you, really."

 _Something is wrong with me._

Wasn't this what I wanted? L all to myself? What fan wouldn't want to be alone with him in a broom closet? He was all over me.

And Jerry was somewhere, expecting me to take advantage of the situation. To get back into L's good graces.

But it didn't feel right. I got the sense L was fishing for something. Some hidden knowledge that would explain a scrap of mystery left behind.

I gained control of myself, chest hurting from laughing. I felt a lot freer than I had in a long time. "I'm just not sure I can play along with any more of your games." I said. _Or yours, Jerry._ "I shouldn't have followed you. I was enjoying my night . . . Regardless of _broom closets._ " I added on the end.

 _I want to move on from...whatever THIS is. I want to make a life for me, just me, first. Maybe I'll be an actress, maybe not. But I want to be normal._

Like what Mikal and Donovan had wanted.

L seemed unresolved, hesitant. As if there was something he wanted to say but he didn't know how to put it into words. He opened his mouth.

Then, the door was flung open.

A guy with a clipboard and an earpiece grabbed us. "Okay, break it up, lovebirds! We've got a half-time show to put on and there are NO backstage passes until AFTER it's over."

He dragged us into the hallway. There were even _more_ people than before, adorned with various feathers and sparkling leotards.

The stagehand squinted at me. "Wait a minute, aren't you that Krazy Krispois girl?"

Huh. This was getting a lot more common.

I placed my hands on my hips and flipped my hair over my shoulder. "Obviously."

He barked behind him. "Hey, Mishimoto! Do we have Krazy Krispois on the roster of performance artists tonight? Maybe with the dancers?"

Another guy with a thick clipboard flipped up some pages, and shouted back from the end of the hall. "No, why? Did we miss her? Was it Takahashi? He did this last week with that paintball kid. He always forgets the internet celebs."

The stagehand cursed, then looked me up and down. "What sort of outfit is that? You promoting that band?" He didn't wait for me to reply. He pushed me towards a stairwell where a throng of performers grabbed me. "Okay, stay in the third row. Don't step on anyone's toes. If you forget the moves, just sway, got it? Good!"

I looked around wildly, but L took advantage of the distraction.

He was gone.

So was the stagehand, already dealing with a different crisis.

The crowd of dancers surged forward and I was practically carried up a sharp stairwell. No one seemed to be able to hear each other over the roar of the crowd and the music from the TVtrons speakers.

I shielded my eyes as the bright lights of the stadium washed over me, and I emerged from underneath Tokyo Dome directly in the middle of the field onto an enormous stage.

A band was playing around us, marching to the beat, wearing extremely tall hats and frills.

Two hands pushed me forward and I fell in step with a row of dancers that made me feel VERY underdressed.

And when they started their routine (a very _complicated_ routine, mind you) I was immediately and completely lost.

Not unaware of the amount of eyes and cameras trained on me, I did the only thing I knew how to do.

 _Shine._

I launched myself into a combination of random pirouettes, jazz lines and ballerina spins, rocking out to the beat. I even grabbed one guy and did my version of the tango. And he _went along with it_.

Up front was a sandy blonde-haired singer, who based on the chanting of his name by the crowd I determined was the infamous Hideki Ryuga.

 _Sayu is gonna be so mad at me._ I thought before I was lifted by my waist for a dazzling finishing move.

I smiled and made a peace sign to the camera. "Krazy Krispois crashing the party! Peace out!"

 **AMBROSINE**

Ambrosine sat in her white office chair, wearing nothing but a black, silk night robe that reached her mid-thigh, sipping a glass of raspberry cardinal. Her hair was wet from the shower, and drops ran down the back of her neck.

Behind her the wall was made of glass, and Tokyo was obscured in darkness and fairy lights.

She tapped her laptop mouse, reviewing video of the baseball game.

There was a lot of footage of Ellanor. Probably because she was on a date with the Ashworth's only son. _And_ on a private ramp. How _exclusive_.

But also because of the incident.

There were no pictures of his face, he was careful of that, and the image was low resolution, but Ambrosine recognized the dark hair, and the graceful movement of his muscles as he twisted to survive the fall down the stairs.

She shifted in her seat as she remembered dragging her hands through that thick hair, and along the lines of those muscles. She took another sip of her cardinal, glad for the chilled taste.

It was years ago, he had been younger, but he was certainly a _man_ now.

Her fingers tightened on her glass.

Then Ellanor, in her usual internet celebrity form, crashed the halftime show with some of the _worst_ dance moves Ambrosine had ever witnessed.

The internet ate it up though, flooding her twitter again with reactions to the unexpected and outrageous party crashing.

She was either an idiot, lucky, or _really_ knew what she was doing. It was perfect marketing. If the director hadn't wanted her in Misa and Hideki's movie, he would now.

Ambrosine savoured another long drink.

Was it a coincidence that her dark-haired man had fallen directly in front of the _Canadienne_ like an angel from the sky?

Ambrosine's eyes flashed, pausing the video on Ellanor's face as the girl posed, breathless and smiling, and made a peace sign at the camera.

She didn't believe in coincidences.

 **End of Chapter 55**

Is it hot in here or is just me?

~Satchelle


	7. Bad L

**Chapter 56**

 **Bad L**

 **L**

L threw open his hotel room door, cast the key card somewhere in the kitchen and slammed the door shut with the flat of his foot.

He stood like that, trying to get it under control, trying to stop the sound of her laughter echoing in his head, in the dark.

She had _laughed_ at him.

Laughed.

Like he was nothing more than a joke to her. Why did he expose himself like that? Take that kind of risk?

He wanted to hit something, his arms were shaking.

Penny's face, her hair, in lights. The stadium around her. The _life_ around her. She had been glowing. _Happy_.

L's eyes slid to his bare feet, grey with dirt and scratched from the walk home, his breathing uneven, realizing what had happened.

 _She's moved on._

Why can't he?

He could see it again.

Her hair, falling across her back. His hands, strong and sure, sliding over her bare arms, and _down_. Her _mouth_ , lips parted, expectant, waiting for his. Why, why could he _taste_ her? When had that happened?

There was something...something there. Something that ached now. Something lost. He could _feel_ it. Like a rib had been torn out.

He clutched his fist to his chest, blood pounding through his body, trying to grind the pain back.

It made him gasp audibly for air, his breath catching in his throat, and he collapsed to his knees.

He never should have played games with her. When he woke in that hospital, when she turned her head and smiled at him and said hello like they were old friends, that's where he should have left it.

Tricking her for information, cooperation, all it had done was bring him trouble. Not answers. Not peace of mind.

Something wonderful and terrible had happened between them, _to_ him, _to_ her, and he couldn't remember what it was.

She wouldn't tell him. Watari wouldn't tell him. Even his past self kept it a secret from him now.

He slammed his fist into the floor, punching it again and again and again until his hand was numb.

Breathing slowing, the pounding lessened.

L gathered himself, reformed his thoughts, collected the fraying threads and retied them into an organized quilt in his mind.

It helped.

He sat back against the door, drawing his knee up to his chest and resting his arm there. Unwinding the knots in his muscles. He let his head tilt back, exposing his throat and adam's apple, and stared at the ceiling.

 _What do you want?_

He shut his eyes, listening to his breathing.

Her face was waiting there, behind his eyelids. The way she blushed earlier...

He ran the heel of his palm over his mouth and chin, exhaling through his nose. He knew what he wanted.

 _Get it under control._

First, he would deal with Kira. The results had come back about the supermodel Light was dating. He had evidence now. He would confront them soon. Make them confess. After that...

L opened his eyes.

Perhaps...he would make her blush again.

 **End of Chapter 56**

 _Screams internally._

Writing stuff like this is so _embarrassing_. It's too hard. Maybe I should just go back to the cosmic horror theme. What do you guys think?

(I know, I know. It's short. But the next chapter is mostly written. Just thought you guys deserved a little extra.)

~Satchelle


	8. Lights! Camera! Action!

**Chapter 57**

 **LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!**

 **SYDNEY**

I travelled back to the Yagami household by train.

It was quiet, the car rocked back and forth on the tracks. The steel was old and creaky.

We were raised up on some kind of bridge, and I watched Tokyo Bay slide by, my forehead leaning against the window, my body swaying with the train.

Somewhere out there was the warehouse BB had tried to kill me in. I wondered if they had cleaned the blood off the roof, or if the rain took care of it.

Deep in the glass was Mikal, faded, as window reflections are. He was lying on the bench across from me, but he was sleeping. It was a nice relief.

I closed my eyes.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, a notification BEEPED on my phone.

Wearily, but still in a good mood, I withdrew from the temptation of ignoring it and checked my phone.

' _We need to dish ASAP. I want details. I saw you and Racoon get caught in the broom closet. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me._

 _PS: I might have accidentally kinda sorta let Mei take over the steaming hot mess of a date you left. Don't hate me._

 _~K'_

I almost groaned out loud. Kimiko had _seen_ that?!

I tapped my phone repeatedly against my forehead. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Another BEEP.

' _PSS: I can't BELIEVE you went on stage with Hideki Ryuga without me. You totally OWE me. XOXOXO. ~Besties for lyyyyyfe. :3_

Silent, I tucked the phone away.

Copying Mikal, I lied back on the bench. No one was around. Aside from his ghost, I had the car to myself.

I stared at the rectangular lights on the ceiling. Tomorrow, I would apologize to Donovan. Explain.

 _I shouldn't have followed L._

It was like I was being pulled along by an invisible force. As if a thread had been tied around my neck, tightening the further the story progressed.

I touched the hollow of my throat and swallowed at the thought.

Was it a noose? Am I destined to die here, in this anime? By Light's hand, or Misa's?

Maybe I was just a kite. Bobbing in the wind. Tangled up in L's branches.

Or perhaps a collar. I could almost see the translucent chain, just out of reach, the end of which was wrapped around Jerry's fist.

I was still his pet. Still an unwelcome character in someone else's story.

So for now, I closed my eyes and remembered the cheering crowd, and pretended they still surrounded me. The stage lights. The dancing.

Slowly, the train car transformed into the stadium again, twinkling with thousands of camera lights, like stars floating in a sea of applause.

Maybe next time I could receive that adoration without making a fool of myself. Maybe next time I would learn the dance moves. Or the lines.

Renaux's offer dangled above my head.

If I could navigate around Jerry, and do my best to avoid L (which would be difficult, since apparently he now possessed the sexual magnetism of a small planet...but not impossible). And if I didn't get in Light's way...maybe...maybe I could...

The train's brakes squealed and the car rocked to a stop.

Holding my shoes in my hand, I rolled off my seat and walked out of the station, into the quiet suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo.

It was a cool but pleasant walk to the Yagami house. I was getting used to it by now. It had to be very late, because the windows were black. Everyone must be asleep.

Knowing the front door would be locked, and quietly as I could, I went through the gate in the yard and entered the house through the back door, into the kitchen.

Hungry, and wanting a midnight snack before bed, I paused to open the fridge door. The dark room was illuminated with soft, cotton light.

Including Mrs. Yagami, who was standing beside the sink, drinking tea.

I jumped, nearly dropping a bottle of grape juice, catching it just in time. "Oh, Mrs. Yagami, I didn't see you there."

She simply stared some distance past the window over the sink, not looking at me directly.

"Um, couldn't sleep?" I asked weakly, trying to smile.

She didn't reply right away, instead taking another sip of her tea. "Did you have a good time?" She asked, haltingly polite.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

 _Well, a billionaire served me nachos, and the most famous detective in the world cornered me in a broom closet, then I danced on stage in front of thousands of people. Yeah, it was pretty awesome._

But I had a feeling that wouldn't go over well with Light's mother. So instead I just said, with as much dignity as I could instill in my voice - "Yes, it was nice to be...normal, for a night."

"Hm." She said, her chin tightening. She then gestured to a tea cup on the counter beside her.

I set the juice back in the fridge and tasted the tea. It was cold, but I kept that to myself. Maybe she was trying to make peace after all.

The silence stretched until I couldn't bare it anymore.

"I should thank you, Mrs. Yagami." I gushed. "I know I've intruded on your house." I patted my palms on the curve of the cup and looked down, embarrassed. "I've had such a hard time lately and your family is really–"

"Where is _your_ family?" She interrupted suddenly.

My gaze shot up, my grip tightening on the handle of my cup. "I…"

"Your parents?" Her eyes swivelled from the window to stare me down. The look she gave me was rock hard, the wrinkles in her face deeply set in a frown, which looked foreign for a woman wearing a pink, fluffy bathrobe and bunny slippers.

"Err, I–"

"First you're a classmate of Light's from high school, but when I checked with the school your name is nowhere to be found. Then you're _dating_ my son–"

"Actually–"

She silenced me with a swift raise of her hand.

I swallowed.

"But I found out you're NOT dating him from my husband, and his REAL girlfriend shows up the other night."

My mouth opened and shut, no sound came out. I couldn't explain Misa.

"Not to mention that you stayed over without asking my permission IN my son's room."

Right, when _your_ son got me drunk and then scarecrow and gorilla attacked me. Thanks for reminding of that, lady. But the words wouldn't come out right. I felt myself shrinking under her judgement. "That was just a big misunders–"

" _Then_ overnight you are now both some sort of tragic victim my husband must care for, and a celebrity. Sayu and I watched you on the TV. What sort of example are you setting for her?"

"I didn't mean for _any_ of that to–"

"AND," her voice rose, "I remember you now." Her eyes narrowed. "You were there at Light's entrance ceremony to university. You're the one who broke into the school."

I stared at her miserably.

"You know what I think you are? I think you're a liar and a troublemaker. I don't want you anywhere near my daughter. And Light needs to study." She said, setting her teacup on its saucer with finality. "He has a bright future and doesn't need girls like you," she let the insult hang in the air, " _distracting_ him."

I hung my head. "I'll get my things." I mumbled, and set my cup down on the counter.

"No, in the morning. I don't care where you go, but I expect you gone before breakfast."

She watched me all the way back up the stairs. Suddenly feeling like my night in Tokyo Dome was a million years ago, I fell in a heap on the cot in Sayu's room. Sayu was snoring softly.

I stared at the darkness of the ceiling.

Mikal lay down next to me.

I rolled over glumly and ignored him.

Now what?

 **BEFORE BREAKFAST**

I bowed low, bending at the waist. "Thank you for your kindness and generosity, but I have found a place to stay."

Everyone had wandered downstairs, and like I promised, I said my goodbyes before the first egg or strip of bacon was fried.

"But, we were going to go shopping and–!" Sayu started protesting.

"And maybe we will."

Although the sideways look Mrs. Yagami gave me told me otherwise.

"But I'd be distraught to intrude on your home any further." I touched her shoulder gently and forced a smile.

The Chief stepped forward and looked down at me over the rim of his glasses. It was still strange to see him in his striped pajamas. He looked _way_ more like a typical dad than a Chief. "Are you sure, Miss Ella?"

My eyes flicked to Light's mother, who stood resolutely behind her husband with crossed arms. "Yes," I mustered as gracefully as I could, hiding my flustered blinking with another bow. "Thank you again."

I grabbed my already packed bag from the hallway (not that there was much in it) and slung it over my shoulder.

I hurried outside without looking back.

The door shut behind me.

"Where are you going to go?"

I stalled, halfway down the front step.

I didn't look at Light, who was leaning against the porch with his usual casual arrogance. He was the one person I was hoping to avoid saying goodbye to.

"Wherever I want." I said, trying to sound at ease.

Light took a step towards me. "Are you going to disappear through my lawn too?" He was half serious.

My bag's strap was already digging into my shoulder. I adjusted it. "That's not how it works."

Light sighed. "I'd have preferred you here, under my nose."

"Keep your enemies close," I echoed, agreeing sadly. "Thank your dad for me. And everyone...on the task force."

I _forbid_ myself from crying in front of Light Yagami.

"Including _him_?"

My face burned. "...No. Not him." I marched away, biting back angry tears. Golden sun had just started to rise over the tiled roofs. Birds were chirping.

I was homeless again.

 **AT SCHOOL**

School was the only place I could think of to go.

I had the whole day to make plans, but I was distracted. I wasn't listening to anything in class, and the students seemed to sense my bad mood, so they let me be.

Donovan wasn't going anywhere near me today, neither was Mei. They went to the library for any joint classes to study away from me. Not allowing me to apologize.

Kimiko texted me saying something about a sale worth skipping class for.

So I was alone.

During lunch break, I went to the roof.

There was no one up here, just me and the gravel and the chain-link fence and the sky.

And Mikal.

He was a few feet away, hands in his pockets. His image had gotten more solid again. Bolder. Apparently all my demons needed was a little dressing down from Light's mom.

I felt on top of the world last night, now it was like I had the weight of the whole ocean pressing down on me.

I had no money, no job until Renaux contacted me. _If_ she contacted me. No place to sleep tonight…

The panic tightened in my throat, and Mikal placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I jerked away. _Leave me alone._

I ignored him by sitting against the fence, back to the abyss of the schoolyard below, and glared into my phone. The videos and tweets and messages and gifs and news blasts were all roaring about the newest Krazy Krispois stunt at Tokyo Dome.

I scrolled through, feeling disconnected from it all.

How laughable it was. What would they all think? If they knew the infamous _Ellanor Krispois_ was just an abandoned, poor as dirt, _nobody?_ I'd have to pickpocket again to keep up illusions. But I had made a promise to Aizawa…

I shut the phone.

This was all so pointless.

I could ask Kimiko or Donovan for help. Although Kimiko was probably going to be a lot nicer to me than Donovan, from his point of view I had abandoned him and his flowers and his thoughtful planning…

I knew I couldn't ask them for help. I did not have the humility for it. I'd probably die of shame.

 _Maybe greed isn't my sin. Maybe it's pride. When did that happen?_

A little voice answered at the back of my mind. _Probably when Mrs. Yagami, the nicest character in this anime, accused you of being a liar and harlot._

I closed my eyes.

Why did this story keep taking away whatever happiness I found? Was life that hard for everyone? Were all good things so fleeting?

This was L's fault.

L, who's monster had gotten loose and into Jerry's orchestral hands. L, who had invited me into his arms, his house, only to cast me aside again. L, who interrupted my date, my _normal_ date. Why couldn't he stay out of my life?

I ducked my head between my knees, letting it hang there, letting the blood rush to my ears.

No, it's my fault. I keep chasing him. Just like last night. Just like the first night Jerry pushed me through that portal. It was always about L.

But what was I supposed to do? Jerry all but admitted he'd written me that way, in layman's terms. I was _designed_ to love L. To sacrifice for L.

Was it already too late? Was I stuck chasing L's shadow forever? Watching him die repeatedly? Would Jerry reverse time and space and stick me back in the story over and over until the outcome changed? _If_ it changed.

Mikal started to whistle.

Slowly, I raised my gaze to look at him.

He hadn't made noise before.

He stared back at me, smiling. As if to say ' _It's getting worse.'_

 **AFTER LUNCH BREAK**

I was not going back to class.

The last thing Ellanor Krispois would do is sit around moping waiting to sleep in someone's doorway. No. I had to make plans. I had to keep busy. Keep Mikal off my back.

Sorry, Chief.

I'd dropped out of so many schools by now I'd lost count. Usually with a spectacular final stunt, sometimes involving fireworks of various degrees of illegality (rule of thumb was - the more States it was illegal in, the cooler the explosion), but I had no such performance ready today.

Instead it would be a disappearing act.

I wandered off the roof, and took one last journey through the hallways of the school, empty now that everyone was studying.

I think this was the farthest my formal education was going to take me. I was too old to come back now. I'd never get to call myself a graduate, like Mikal wanted.

And it made me a little sad.

I didn't want to grow up. To leave my school pranks behind yet. Sleeping in during first period. Copying Mikal's homework. Inventing more and more creative ways to cheat on my teacher's tests.

It was probably destiny. Lots of famous people in history never graduated high school. Right? Benjamin Franklin, Walt Disney, Charles Dickens, that hot guy who played Neo from the Matrix...I think.

And now, added to that list, _Ellanor Krispois._

"Um, excuse me?" A shy voice squeaked.

I pulled myself away from thoughts.

A girl stood in front of me, dead centre in the middle of the hallway. She was tiny, with short, pixie hair and big eyes. She was nervously fiddling with a piece of paper between her fingers.

"You're the Yakuza girl, right?" She then looked like she'd swallowed a frog. "Oh gosh, was that rude? I should be more subtle about these things, shouldn't I?" She was shaking so badly I thought she might break apart and crumble to the floor.

"I don't want any free gifts today." I moved around her.

Her arm shot out and grabbed my elbow. "Um, um, please wait." Her voice was getting smaller and smaller. "It's not that. It's…" She shoved the piece of paper in my hand. "Please come!" She shut her eyes and raced down the hallway.

A little stunned at the oddness, I peeled the paper open. It was an address and a time.

I looked up. "Wait, what is this for?!" I shouted.

But she was already gone.

I frowned at the paper. It was probably a cryptic invitation to some party. Shrugging, I crumpled it up and stuffed it in my back pocket, not giving it another thought.

My phone beeped. I flipped it open to read the message.

" _Be ready on set in twenty minutes, I am sending a car." ~A.R_

Set? Like, a movie set?!

I didn't have time to think about how Renaux had gotten my phone number, or knew what school to send the car to, because by the time I ran outside I was whisked away in a white town car.

 **ONE CAR RIDE LATER**

I had never been on a movie set before.

We were inside a warehouse, full of huge flood lights, thick snaking cables criss-crossing the floor, and little stages with fake trees and park benches to make it look like it was outside.

There were several heavy cameras being set up on dollies and rails.

At first, everyone ignored me while they were busy preparing for the day's shots, and I, of course, immediately found the buffet.

 _Wow. Misa gets star treatment. Does she eat like this everyday?_ There were tiny sandwiches and pastries and fruit towers and a punch bowl.

 _I'm going to get so fat._

It didn't take long for Renaux to discover me (stuffing powdered donuts in my mouth by the dozen), I swallowed and wiped the white sugar from my mouth.

Renaux was wearing a creamy dress shirt with pearl buttons and a seafoam coloured pencil skirt. Her hair was tied up in an intricate bun, with one long piece curled to hang down to frame her face.

I was wearing my school uniform.

With a donut stain on the vest.

Renaux said nothing though, and guided me across the set, pointing out various people and what their jobs were. She handed me papers and told me to memorize them quickly.

"You have a minor background role." She explained. "The director, Nishinaka, is very famous. It stars Misa and Hideki Ryuga. Who I believe you met last night?"

I blushed. "Well, not _exactly,_ I might have crashed his stage...a little. I don't think he'd be very happy to see me."

BANG! CRASH!

Across the warehouse was a parked trailer. From inside several bottles of water were being thrown out the door, smacking some poor assistant in the head. "I ASKED FOR DISTILLED _SPRING_ WATER, MORIMA! NOT THIS _SLUSH_!"

"But, sir, that _is_ dist–" 

"JUST FIX IT! NOW!"

The assistant quickly made their exit, dodging more projectile water bottles. "Of course!" They stuttered, turned, and ran.

Renaux waved her hand dismissively in the air with a smile, placing the other on my shoulder. " _Pop stars_." She said, as if that explained the behaviour.

I guess Hideki and I weren't going to be friends. Poor Sayu. If she knew he was such a tool it'd break her heart.

She guided me to costume and make-up, ordered me again to read my lines, then disappeared.

I was fussed over and dressed in a simple barista uniform with a green apron. The beautician pulled at my lips and tugged on my eyelids and poked all my freckles until my complexion was smooth and glowing.

She then grabbed my shoulders, spun me around, and a man in a hat and glasses who I determined was Nishinaka looked me scrutinously up and down, then gave a brief nod of approval, before I was told to sit and wait.

And wait. 

And wait…

No one told me movie sets were soooooooo boooooooring.

It _did_ give me a chance to read my lines.

" _Good morning! What can I get you today?"_

" _One hot macchiato coming right up! Would you like a lemon square with that?"_

Well, it wasn't _exactly_ one of Hamlet's soliloquies. But I practiced it just the same.

Nishinaka was getting visibly irritated. I overheard him shouting. "Where IS she? She's never been this late before! Doesn't she know how expensive…?"

More people were starting to mutter to themselves. Cameramen and sound techs and other background actors looked about as bored as myself, checking their watches.

"Fine, let's just do some blocking while we wait." Nashinaka snapped his fingers. "Where's my coffee girl?"

My heart skipped a beat. I hurried over. Suddenly nervous. _What were my lines again? Oh my god. There were only two. Why can't I remember–?_

"Stand there." He pointed to a fake restaurant counter. "No. Not _there_. The register hides too much of your body. Do you not _see_ where the camera is?"

Flustered, I took a tiny step to the left.

" _Now_ , you _are_ a coffee girl. Understand? You live coffee, you breathe coffee, you make love to coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee!" He slapped a roll of paper on his knee and sat back in his chair.

 _Um…_

"Stop making that dumb expression! You are a coffee _seductress_." He waved his paper at me. "Say your lines. Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Oh, er…"

"What is this _'er'_?" Is _er_ in the script?"

"Uh…"

"I can't work with this! RENAUX!" He shouted. "Why did you bring me this little American green bean?"

"Canadian." I managed to squeak the correction, but he didn't notice or care.

Renaux appeared, smooth as silk, beside the director, hands neatly behind her back. She leaned close to him. "Let me talk to her."

The director huffed and waved her away.

She glided towards me and stood across the fake counter (which was just a few pieces of painted cardboard). "Are you nervous, Ellanor?" She asked.

"I...I…maybe this isn't…"

I was feeling the pressure squeeze me from all sides. I wanted this to work. It would be difficult to get a normal job in Japan. The Chief was right, I didn't have any ID. Any papers. I had no references or history.

I knew that if I couldn't make the persona I'd invented, Ellanor Krispois, successful, I would have to return to a life of crime. To scams and thievery. 

And I did not know how to convey this enormous weight to my agent.

Renaux caught my eyes with her own and held them. "I saw you steal the crowd's attention of an entire stadium in less than ten seconds."

"That was different."

"Why?" 

"I was just...having fun."

"Can you have fun serving coffee?"

I thought about it, brow furrowing in concentration.

 _Maybe...maybe I'm just PRETENDING to serve coffee, in order to gain the trust of the manager and get my own key, so I can steal the locked safe in the dead of night._

I nodded. "Okay."

She spun around and snapped her fingers, and even the director, not immune to Renaux's energy, sat to attention.

"Again." He said.

With my greatest customer service smile, I smoothly turned to the invisible air and pretended it was in the shape of a customer. "Good morning! What can I get you today?"

I waited a moment. Then nodded, affirming. "One hot macchiato coming right up!" I pretended to punch in the order, then held up the cold yellow pastry on a napkin. "Would you like a lemon square with that?"

The director shrugged. "Good." Was all he said.

I beamed.

Renaux reappeared, also smiling. "Now you must do that a hundred more times, exactly the same. Nashinaka likes his retakes."

"Easy." I said smoothly.

The director's phone rang, irritated, he answered it with a bark.

Renaux took advantage of the distraction. "This is really just a test to see how you do. I have another role already lined up. You have some _very_ interested investors."

"I do?"

"Of course."

"Wow."

"I want you to start preparing for the script right away. Where do you live? I will courier it to you."

My confidence faltered. "Oh, well, um…"

"UNBELIEVABLE!" The director stomped onto the set. "MISA AMANE is AWOL. CLEAN UP, everybody! This film is on hold until she gets here!"

Renaux frowned. "Excuse me." She said, her tone absent, and swiftly walked away from the set, already dialing her phone.

The director's outburst and Misa's disappearance at least had saved me from having to admit my homelessness to Renaux, which might have killed me from the embarrassment alone.

Wait…

Misa's _disappearance_ …?

A cold chill settled in my stomach.

Misa wasn't coming back to the movie for a long time.

Because today was the day…

L kidnapped Misa.

 **End of Chapter 57**

 _Hums the tune to 'Here comes the Bride'._

Here comes the plot, all dressed in spots. Here comes the plot if you're ready or _not_.

~Satchelle


	9. Photograph

**CHAPTER 58**

 **Photograph**

 **L**

L was relentless with his questions.

He perched, a hawk on a ledge, in front of his microphone, staring at the monitors that watched Misa at all times.

He asked her questions. The same questions. Over and over. He got the same answers.

But he did not give up.

He had to sleep. But when he woke he reviewed the tapes on fast forward, in case anyone in the task force missed something his eyes would not.

They were growing weary.

But the evidence, the fingerprints and hair on the tapes that came back, the same tapes sent by the second Kira, was unquestionable.

Misa was the second Kira.

And all roads lead to Light.

During the rare times he allowed himself a break to sleep, sometimes he could not. Ambrosine had gotten smarter, using a bot to reroute her texts with false numbers to avoid him blocking her.

She had graduated to sending him pictures now. Never of her face, of course. She would never give him anything to blackmail her with.

They started with her hands, almost innocently. Holding cups of coffee, stirring with cinnamon sticks. Then she had sent him one of her bare feet in the bathtub. The pictures progressed slowly up her body...

He deleted each one systematically.

Instead his eyes grazed some of the footage of Penny's school, but she had returned only once, and had been taken away by an expensive town car. He replayed the same tapes over and over.

Penny seemed distracted.

The Chief had explained that she claimed to have found a residence and left unexpectedly.

L wondered where she was right now.

 **SYDNEY**

Everyone turned to me, asking me questions. My lie to get into the acting agency backfired dramatically.

" _You said you were Misa's friend, right? What's going on?"_

" _Is she ill?"_

" _Has she eloped? Can I get a quote for the tabloids?"_

I made my excuses and ducked away to give myself time to think. To come up with something. Anything.

But all that went around and around in my head, like a slowly funneling drain, was:

 _L is going to die. L is going to die. L is going to die._

I had been in this world long enough that the plot details of Death Note were getting fuzzy, but I remembered enough to know that Misa and Light's capture was the beginning of the end.

 _Once Light wipes his and Misa's memories, his plan will be fully set into motion. The Death Notes will be in and out of play, but it all follows Light's carefully orchestrated scheme._

 _It's only a few short months, maybe less, until he corners L._

 _And L will..._

I took as long as possible changing out of my barista costume and back into my donut-stained school uniform (the only clothes I had) and found refuge sitting on a spare crate in the corner of the warehouse.

I mutely watched the crew dismantle the camera gear and cart off plastic set pieces on trolleys.

My ever faithful ghost, Mikal, sat next to me, tapping his foot on the concrete floor.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

I held my head in my hands, willing myself to _think._ But still, no grand plan to save the day emerged.

 _Do I even want to save the day?_

Jerry's threats floated around my head. Something about pits of acid and barbaric alien wastelands came to mind.

" _Do not test me, Sydney."_

I shivered, remembering his tone. _No. I don't have a choice._

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

 _Maybe there's some kind of underground railroad for interdimensional time travellers, where I can take refuge and hide._

 _But how do you run from someone who is basically a GOD?_

He wanted me to _make_ L fall in love with me and regain his memories. Probably so L could remember how to travel on his own and defeat Light by himself.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

L travelling had been legendary. Even a little frightening. He almost matched BB jump for jump, and BB had been doing it his whole life. _I guess that's what happens when a super genius learns he has magical powers._

 _And here I am. The village idiot. With no clue how to portal hop and get myself out of this stupid story._

Jerry basically said I wasn't good enough to be the hero anymore. _You're officially the damsel in distress again, Sydney. Win the brave knight's favor and give him a reason to fight another day._

I could practically taste his bitter condescension on my tongue.

 _He's asking the impossible._

L lied to me, tricked me, he didn't love me. He said so himself.

 _But he DID try to kiss you in a broom closet yesterday…_

I groaned. _I don't understand men!_

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

I didn't want to play victim anymore either. Not after what happened with BB.

 _I want to get stronger. I want to BE stronger. I never want to be vulnerable like that. Ever. But now I'm supposed to bare my heart open so...what? L can break it again?!_

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Will you _stop that?"_ I hissed at Mikal. "I'm trying to come up with a plan. Me! The girl with a D- average! I'm freaking out and your incessant haunting isn't helping!"

Mikal raised his hands and patted the air as a gesture of peace. As if to say _'Alright, alright. No need to yell.'_ He smiled sheepishly.

Immediately my anger melted away. I sighed. It was such a Mikal thing to do. "It's getting harder and harder remembering you aren't real." I said, hushed.

 _How am I supposed to make L fall in love with me when I keep seeing my ex boyfriend everywhere?_

"What even are you?" I whispered. "Residual guilt? PTSD? Tell me…please…what's wrong with me?"

The other hallucinations hadn't gone away either.

I could still see rising walls of decaying meat where Tokyo's skyscrapers would be. Signs and lamp posts turned into flaming trees. Entire streets became rivers of lava and festering, burning garbage. Barking dogs followed me, day and night.

And BB's laughter was everywhere - in car horns and bird calls and idle chatter.

The nightmares were the worst of it all. Every time I closed my eyes I was back there, in that hellscape. It always ended with me drowning again, or BB thrusting his hand through my chest and ripping out my spark. I was barely sleeping. All the TV make-up in the world couldn't quite hide the dark circles under my eyes.

My gaze fell, biting back tears. "Am I going crazy?"

Mikal lifted his hand up and cupped my face. His lips parted. _"Yes."_

A shiver ran up and down my spine.

He hadn't spoken before...and his hand felt _real_.

 _I'm losing it._

 _I need to get out of here._

 _I need to…_

"That's it." I whispered, realization dawning on me.

The answer was becoming clearer.

Jerry was the enemy. L was unreliable.

 _I have to learn how to portal jump._

L _proved_ it was possible. I could have my own agency, I could go anywhere, escape Death Note, go back in time and space, I could...I could...

I stared at Mikal, eyes widening. "I could save _you."_

Maybe L was destined to die. Maybe it was hopeless. A thousand fangirls and Jerry's meddling had done nothing to prevent it. Even I, and all my glorious interference hadn't made a dent in the plot.

But Mikal...Mikal was just an ordinary kid from New York. There was nothing cosmic about his fate. I could stop Jerry from killing him. Give him a chance to go through heart surgery!

He could live!

"So I convince L to love me…" I murmured, rubbing my chin. "Just long enough to keep Jerry off my back and from suspecting anything, and then I learn how to…" I dropped my face in my hands.

Mikal patted me comfortingly on the back.

"But how do you LEARN how to do that?" I groaned. "Marty McFly had a DeLorean, the Doctor had a literal spaceship, even Hermione got a timespinner! This is impossible."

A quieter, more troubling thought slipped into my mind.

 _And can I really doom L?_

I was drawn to L. But was it by design? A twisted fate Jerry forced on me? Or was it natural? L challenged me. L confused me. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't find him attractive.

Just thinking about his voice in my ear, his strong hands wrapping around my face, his hot breath on my lips...

"Oh, Mikal. This whole thing is such a _mess_. I think I still lo–"

"Who are you talking to?"

I startled and glanced up.

Renaux stood in front of me, staring.

As usual, her preemed appearance made me feel, in comparison, like a slob.

 _A crazy slob. I belong in a padded room._

"No one." I squeaked.

She didn't buy that. I could tell instantly. _She's a quick one._

"I mean...Siri. I was talking to...my phone." I finished lamely.

"Oh." As if prompted, she pulled out her own cell and asked me something.

But Mikal was distracting me by playing with a strand of my hair. As if to say _'you don't want L, you want me.'_

"Hmm?" I said, distressed, unsure what to do. _Go away. Go away. Go away._

"Where should I send your cheque?" Renaux asked me again. "You'll be paid for the full day, of course, despite Misa's...abrupt disappearance."

Mikal's fingers had moved to stroke the curve of my neck, raising goosebumps.

I just stared at Renaux, her question sounded like mocking laughter in my head. A slow ringing noise began to build in my ears.

 _That's right, tell her where, Sydney. You're homeless now, remember? Should she send it to the park bench around the corner or the barrel campfire under the bridge?_

Mikal leaned over my shoulder. I felt warm breath on my neck.

I jumped to my feet, resisting the urge to kick his ghost, garnering another strange look from Renaux.

I disguised it by pretending to yawn and stretch. "I...um..."

Renaux tilted her head curiously at me, still holding her cell phone, waiting to punch in an address. "Or would you prefer direct deposit into your bank account? I can do international transfers if you need it."

"Bank account?"I reeled.

 _Sydney Pennypocket has never had a bank account in her life! I don't even know how to open one._

(Now, _robbing_ a bank - I've planned a few of those. Just for _fun,_ mind you _-_ but I still keep the heist plans in my back pocket for a rainy day. If things ever went _really_ south, the Wells Fargo on Manhattan's East 14th Street would be in for a surprise.)

Renaux arched an eyebrow. "Are you having a stroke, Ellanor? Or am I speaking Greek?"

I winced from her tone. Like a teacher scolding a student. She was saying: _My time is more valuable than yours. Stop wasting it._

The weight of Renaux's eyes raked over my skin, slowly down and then flicking back up, making me feel exposed and stupid.

 _Pull it together. You're Sydney! Lie! You're good at lying!_

I squared my shoulders. "No need for transfers. I'd rather avoid taxes and foreign exchange rates until I speak with my accountant." I huffed, waving my hand flippantly. "Just courier the cheque to the…" I racked my brain for all the hotels L had stayed at, trying to recall a name.

A sign illuminated by fancy golden lights flashed into my mind.

"Peninsula. The Peninsula. My...man at the front desk will hold it for me."

"You're staying at the Peninsula?" Another eyebrow arch. "One of the most _expensive_ hotels in Tokyo?"

 _Damn it, L._

"That's the one." I reigned in a bout of nervous laughter. "My skin chafes on anything less than five-star sheets, you see."

"I...see." Renaux tapped the address into her phone. "Very well. I will courier your cheque and that script to your hotel. Please read through it tonight - I think you'll find the role very... _interesting._ I will contact you to meet and discuss your future tomorrow."

 _My future…_

Renaux made it sound like she was launching me into movie-stardom, like some kind of cannonball.

But it was hard to picture any future when I didn't even have a bed to sleep on tonight.

"Thank you. For...everything." I said, rubbing the back of my neck and looking down at my feet.

Renaux placed a manicured hand on my shoulder, startling me from the surprising act of warmth from this cold business woman. "We actresses have to stick together, don't we?"

I swallowed down the bad feeling lodged in my throat and smiled back. "Yeah."

"Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Also, I would _love_ to take a quick photo of you while you're still fluffed up from the set's make-up artist - for the agency's website."

I self consciously tucked my hair behind my ears and tugged on my uniform sleeves. "Um, I'm not sure I'm dressed for…"

"No, no! It's perfect! The student uniform is innocent yet rebellious - social media will eat it up."

I nearly laughed in her face.

Renaux ignored my skepticism and instructed me to take off my sweater vest, pop my dress shirt open so it showed the white tank top underneath, and undo my bowtie, letting it hang loose around my collar.

She ran her fingers through my hair, tangling it. From this distance I could smell her heady perfume. _Probably called L'eau de something or other._ She stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Hmm." She pressed two fingers against her lips.

"What?"

"I see it now." She murmured.

"See what?"

"What h...what the public sees in you."

"Oh yeah?" I laughed. "And what's that?" 

"You don't know?" She raised an amused eyebrow. "You're very beautiful, Ellanor."

That wasn't what I was expecting.

 _I'm not beautiful. Perfect? Yes. A brilliant femme fatale? Sure! A conqueror of sleight of hand? Definitely. Swindler extraordinaire? For sure._

 _But beautiful?_

My instincts were to scowl, but I resisted denying it. Ellanor would take that compliment in stride.

 _No one ever called me beautiful._

Mikal cleared his throat.

 _Okay, one person did._

But there was something a lot more embarrassing about a legion of strangers on the internet thinking that than just one guy.

 _Does L think I'm beautiful?_

The encounter in the broom closet slammed to the forefront of my mind. L leaning over me, against a wall, his black hair drifting down over his eyes...

Despite pretending to be aloof, I couldn't stop my face and chest from heating up.

Renaux raised her phone up, centering the camera. "Excellent. When you blush you're even cuter. Don't move."

The faint rose deepened to a dark red.

FLASH!

"Perfect." She said, staring down at the photo.

I wandered over and craned my neck to look. All the blush fled my face and was replaced with a sickly blue. _"I look ridiculous."_

"You look _vulnerable_. Throwing crazy parties and pulling lavish stunts got the public's attention, I will credit you that. But you have to _expose_ yourself if you want them to love you."

She said this very matter of factly.

"I thought we were going for beautiful."

Renaux shrugged without looking up, a faint smile on her lips. She had stopped paying attention to me.

"Well, I am going to head out then...to my hotel." _My fancy, five-star, 'most expensive in Tokyo' hotel, where I have an imaginary room._

I barely received a response from Renaux as I drifted off the sets and back onto the streets of Tokyo.

The sun had set and a chilly, autumn breeze whistled a long, slow note. I stood in the corner of the parking lot, staring up at the street signs, and hugged myself for warmth. _I wish I was wearing more than a school girl's uniform right now._

"If I could portal jump, I'd be in the Bahamas right now." I shivered. "On a hammock, with a coconut drink and…"

All I wanted was a roof.

A hot meal.

And a bed to crash into.

The weight of the universe on my shoulders was starting to get heavy.

 _If I was really Ellanor Krispois, I could walk into that hotel and snap my fingers and be waited on hand and foot._

I began walking towards the closest subway terminal and comforted myself listing all the things Ellanor Krispois would demand if she had her way.

 _Room service, hot chocolate, on a silver platter, no - gold, maybe served by a hot butler, maybe that hot butler is L, (it's MY fantasy, sue me), he'd look good in a suit, he'd look better out of that suit…_

A blast of cold wind riddled my exposed legs with goosebumps.

 _Scratch all that, Ellanor Krippois would be poolside at a fancy, southern resort, under a palm tree, and L would be there in hawaiian shorts helping her sip sparkling drinks with tiny umbrellas…_

My fantasy was interrupted when the image of a shirtless L in direct, tropical sunlight roadblocked all other thoughts. I couldn't picture him without a glob of sunblock on his nose and wearing giant sunglasses, probably moaning about how the heat made him 5% less deductive.

The idea made me laugh, which _did_ warm my soul a bit.

I used the last of Light's (borrowed...ish) pocket money to pay for a ticket and sat down in a quiet train car, preparing my speech for the Peninsula.

Just before the train doors closed, Mikal slipped through them and hung onto one of the upper bars with both hands, leaning over me.

 _Don't forget._ His eyes said.

As the train started to move, the dark tunnel speeding behind the windows turned red, and blood battered against the panes, bubbling through the cracks, pouring down the walls, threatening to drown the whole car. I moved my feet to avoid stepping in it.

I looked around, but no one else in the car seemed to notice. They continued reading the paper, listening to music and staring at their phones, unawares.

Clearly my fantasies only served as a minor distraction. Whatever was wrong with me, it wasn't going away.

Mikal's phantom wasn't going away.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

 _Just picture L in hawaiian shorts. L in hawaiian shorts. L in hawaiian…_

 **L**

L was not wearing hawaiian shorts.

He was fully clothed in his jeans and white shirt, with the sleeves pulled all the way down to his wrists.

He rubbed his bare toes together for warmth and chewed slowly on a caramel square, watching Misa Amane lie through her teeth over and over again.

Light would be coming soon.

L was curious what his number one suspect would do now that Misa ran the risk of exposing him.

He had already run through several risk scenarios. In case Light simply tried to kill Misa, or anyone on the task force.

He had Watari ready with a small pistol - just in case. The task force, especially the Chief, could not be relied on should the worst happen. It was best to be prepared.

Not that it was likely. Light wasn't that foolish. And Kira, if he andLight truly were one in the same, was delusional enough in his self-grandeur that he would certainly try and outsmart L first before resorting to violence.

How Light would do that, L was not sure.

He was hoping whatever it was would get Light... _Kira..._ caught for good.

Strangely, L no longer felt that catching Kira would bring him satisfaction. Not only would it ruin Chief Yagami's life. But he had grown to appreciate his conversations with Light - there weren't many young men who could hold their own intellectually with himself.

L would almost consider Light a friend by now.

At least, once the investigation was concluded, L took solace that he could finally put this unusual case behind him.

He could return his attention to other pursuits. Perhaps solve that missing Vermeer painting case. He had reason to believe it was somewhere in Philadelphia. Or running Ambrosine out of town.

Or unlocking Penny's secret.

 _Beep._

Another photo from Ambrosine.

L forced himself to look at the tiny image on his phone, finger already aiming for the delete button.

He froze.

There she was, clear as day, in the palm of his hand.

 _Penny._

Except it was unlike any Penny he had witnessed so far. She looked…she _looked…_

His phone started to ring.

This time, L answered.

" _Found your puppy. Should have kept her on a better leash."_

"You are mistaken, Ambrosine."

" _You answered the phone, didn't you?"_

L paused.

" _What are you doing with this amoeba of a girl? She looks like a little doe with all those hideous freckles."_

"Ambrosine–"

" _Don't tell me you've fallen for the tale she's spun. You're far too clever by half to be taken in by it. She may have made a splash in the entertainment industry, but it only takes one loose thread to unravel it all."_

L took a deep breath. "She came to me with a case. Nothing more."

He could almost hear her nails clicking as they tapped her phone.

" _So you SAVED her. Ah, I see - you're playing hero."_

L thought back to how he discarded Penny, telling her he solved her case and didn't need her. Offering to pay her.

' _I don't want your money.'_

Those words ran circles around his mind. What _did_ Penny want? Why did she offer to stay and help the Kira investigation now that Beyond was gone? Why remain in Japan at all? She was free.

L wasn't so certain he had saved her from anything, and he did not feel like a hero. He felt like a villain in Penny's story, whatever that story was.

"You see what you want to see." L said quietly.

" _I'm not going to destroy her, if that's what you're worried about. Not yet. That would be no fun at all."_

"Whatever you want from me, Ambrosine, I am not giving it to you. Play your games with someone else."

" _It's more fun playing with you. Come back to me, L. If it's her body you desire I am sure I can convince her into a threesome."_

L nearly threw the phone across the room. He took a shuddering breath, calming his anger.

Anger was a new emotion. Something he had acquired during his memory loss. Something he had acquired with Penny. He was not accustomed to it yet.

"Goodbye, Ambrosine." He said stiffly.

" _I'll send you more pictures."_

CLICK.

The call ended, and L was left staring at his screen, where Penny's picture stared back.

Her uniform was undone, her body language hesitant, her expression both embarrassed and pleased at the same time, but there was something alluring about her open shirt and wild hair.

Something suggestive.

He snapped his phone shut.

But he did not delete the photo.

 **End of Chapter 58**

Sydney's sanity is still questionable, Ambrosine has her claws out, and L is getting sucked in again.

Never a dull moment.

As for me...

I did the one thing most fanfiction authors never do.

I wrote a book.

Update in the bio.

~Satchelle


	10. The Elevator Reprise

**CHAPTER 59**

 **The Elevator Reprise**

 **SYDNEY**

"I am ze daughter of Russia's Czar, Ellazavita Krispinov. I do not carry zis 'ID' you speak of." I said dismissively. "Zey misspelled my name."

"It's just, we don't have your name on record as a guest here, ma'am." The attendant said with a slight bow of his head.

"Eet iz not _my_ fault vor computer iz brokyen. I vant my mail."

"Maybe if you showed us your room key–?"

"I told you, it vaz stolen." I huffed. "Ze Czar vill be very dizpleased."

He just kept typing into his tiny keyboard, shaking his head, mumbling apologies.

"Look, I can _zee_ my mail. It iz right zere, in zat leettle pile bevind your desk."

The poor attendant just kept bowing and apologizing. Meanwhile the line up behind me was getting annoyed.

I was running out of time.

Inside, underneath my entitled, royal exterior, I was panicking.

I _need_ that cheque. If I could cash it, I could maybe find myself a motel or a hostel or heck, buy a damn tent if I had to.

I knew I couldn't afford this place in a million years, but without the cash I would have to resort to thievery again.

And I promised Aizawa I wouldn't.

A manager with small spectacles, a double chin and a grim smile slid beside their employee. He also bowed. "On behalf of the Peninsula, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. But we require a key card, I.D, or for you to be vouched by one of our _paying_ guests."

He looked at my ruined school uniform with a twist of his lips.

I was out of arsenal.

 _Okay, persuasion and intimidation failed. Clearly I'm off my game. Maybe I can sneak in later and just steal my mail. Aizawa can't fault me on that - that money is mine, I earned it._

But the idea made me want to rub my eyes and groan. I was already too tired and hungry for a caper. My knife wound hurt and my leg was acting up - either from the cold air or the stress, like I had turned into an old lady with a false hip.

And Mikal kept rubbing my shoulders, which was only making me more sleepy.

This day just wouldn't end.

"I am _ztunned_ by zis miztreatmeent! Ze CZAR vill hear about zis! I vill geev vou a VUN ZTAR review!" I threw my finger in the air like I was casting a curse on them all.

A hand, a real hand, lightly touched my shoulder. "I will vouch for her." A quiet voice spoke up.

I froze.

 _What is HE doing here?_

L stood beside me, wearing his blue baseball cap "disguise", calmly staring down the hotel manager. He leaned forward, and I could feel his chest brush my arm, as he showed them his key card.

They both stiffened.

"You know this woman, sir?" The manager asked, emphasizing the _sir._

"Yes, she's a Russian–" L glanced at me.

"Acrobat." I said in my thickest Russian accent.

"...Acrobat." He repeated slowly, with the hint of amusement on his lips. He then turned the entirety of his black gaze on the manager. "May she have her mail so we can move on with our evening?"

The way he said _our evening_ sent a shiver up my spine.

Reluctantly, the manager picked up the manuscript and cheque, and handed them over.

I snatched them both like a starving child grabbing scraps of bread and clutched them to my chest. I _originally_ planned to spin on my heel and stomp out of the hotel in a righteous huff, but L's grip on my shoulder tightened.

"I'll escort you to your floor, Miss Krispinov." He said in my ear.

Before I knew it, L was steering me away from the desk and to the open elevator. He pushed me inside.

One wall of the elevator was glass, the rest were cherry wood, with a dainty sakura-blossom chandelier made of gold and pink crystal.

Furious, I spun around, but the doors were already closing.

The last thing I saw was Mikal, standing in the lobby, staring after me with an unreadable expression on his face, before the doors shut tight.

I yanked my shoulder away from L and backed up. "You didn't have to do that." I said, a little harsher than I intended.

L took off his baseball cap and tucked it in his back pocket. He pushed a button and I could feel the weight of the floor move as the elevator slowly began to rise.

"Why did you send mail to my hotel?" He asked.

"I didn't know it was _your_ hotel. You move around all the time. And it's _none_ of your business." I quickly tucked the cheque into my sock, and as I was leaning over L plucked the manuscript from my hands. "Hey!"

He held it high above my head, ignoring me as I tried to jump to reach it, and read the title curiously. "A movie?"

"Yes, I have a _job_. Give it back." I hopped up and down, straining my arm, but it appeared L only stooped when he wanted to.

"You are an actress now?" He tilted his ear to his shoulder and rolled his eyes over to look at me.

 _He's making fun of me._ I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm a lot of things."

"I noticed." He handed the script back to me.

I whipped around, peering at the buttons on the console and doing my best to ignore L's proximity. "How do I stop this thing?" I muttered.

All at once the lights turned off.

There was a wonky, winding down noise, and the elevator shuddered to an unnatural stop.

After a moment's silence in the pitch black, I turned around, ready to strangle him. "You _didn't."_

"You are correct." I could see the outline of L's shadow looking up at the ceiling with curiosity. "I did not."

"And I'm supposed to believe that? You've already trapped me in an elevator once–!"

"Yes, I read the file. If I recall correctly you climbed through an air duct and dropped a gargoyle on a government vehicle, destroying it. Is that right?"

"Well," I squirmed, "it was a tad more _impressive_ than how you made it sound but–"

"I assure you. Assisting you in the lobby was intended as a minor delay. I am busy with work." L strode over and attempted pressing a few buttons, to no avail. The console was dead.

My eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness.

L was mostly shrouded in shadow, but faint moonlight seeped through the window, dancing on the ridges of his hair and outlining his figure with a pale glow.

 _Too busy for me, you mean._ "Right, because you're interrogating Misa?" I rolled my eyes.

L looked at me sharply. "How did you know that?"

I paused. _Uh…_

The lie came out smooth this time.

"Misa, who is _dating_ Light, didn't show up to the movie set today. And there were rumours of police in riot masks kidnapping a girl at Toho - Light's school, who I _know_ you've been trying to connect to Kira for months. I put two and two together." I shrugged, playing it off.

L leaned forward unblinkingly. "That is very...observant...of you."

"Or maybe you're just not as clever as you think you are." I shot back.

He retracted. "You are quite hostile today."

"Start the elevator back up." I ordered. "I told you at the stadium - I don't want to play any more games."

L made a displeased face. "As I said before, this was not me. If you look outside you will notice it appears to be a city-wide blackout."

 _Impossible._

But I hurried over to the window, and indeed, the usual humming neon of Tokyo had disappeared. Only little golden circles of vehicle headlamps, slowly inching forward on the roads, gave off any sign of life. You could even see the stars instead of the usual orange haze in the sky.

"No way I'm that unlucky." I whispered, in awe. After a moment, my head fell. "Actually, never mind. I _am_ that unlucky."

"Is it so terrible being trapped in an elevator with me?" L's voice said, and I could feel his breath on my temple.

Alarm bells rang in my head.

L was right behind me, leaning over my shoulder, gazing out the window.

My heart fluttered, I commanded it to be quiet. "Yes." I muttered.

"Why?"

I could tell from his reflection in the window that he was no longer looking at the city, but at me. I stiffened and stared straight ahead, pretending not to notice. "Why do you care? You don't remember me."

"How can I remember you? You change identities the way most people change shoes."

I scowled. "I wasn't pretending around you."

I felt L's skepticism burning into the back of my neck.

" _Most_ of the time." I clarified, swallowing the lump in my throat. _It was just YOU pretending, L. Because I think I really liked…_

"Is that so?" He drew the words out, long and slow.

I shifted my feet uncomfortably. "I really _did_ want to help you catch Kira."

"No. You wanted to make yourself seem useful so I would protect you from Beyond." L said firmly.

I spun around angrily, but L did not move a muscle, so we were only inches apart. "Then I must be pretty stupid," I shouted up at him, "because last time I checked you didn't protect me at all! You only made it worse!"

L's jaw stiffened.

"I have survived most of my life just fine without you, thank you very much!" I jabbed a pointed finger at his chest. "Do you have _any_ idea what Beyond put me through just for _fun?"_ JAB. "No!" JAB. "Of course not!" JAB. "Because a coconut fell on your head and you don't remember anything!"

JAB. JAB. JAB.

 _I had to give up my spark for you! I served myself up on a silver platter just to SAVE you! Then you show up at the last minute with a dumb dagger and think YOU'RE the hero? You ungrateful, deceitful–_

L's large fingers gently wrapped around my hand, stopping me.

I didn't realize how badly I was shaking until that moment, or that my eyes were watering. I looked down at my feet, taking deep, shuddering breaths, trying to get it under control.

"Then explain it to me." He said softly.

"You wouldn't believe me." _And even if you did. Scab might wipe your mind again - or worse._

"There is a man out there killing people just by knowing their name and face." L replied. "You would be surprised at what I am willing to believe."

I shook my head and slowly drew my hand away from him, pressing it to my chest. "Why the change of heart?" I mumbled.

"Because I think Watari hid a file from me, a file about you, and I want to know what is in it."

But this did not interest me the way it did L.

What did he expect to find in there? It was probably a document about my favourite kind of cheese. _Great. I'm just another mystery to him again. A case to solve. Is that all the L cares about?_

"Look, do you have a cell phone? Mine's dead. Maybe you can call for help." I wiped my nose with my sleeve.

L exhaled, disappointed, lips tight. "Yes." He took a flip-phone from his pocket and pressed a single button.

I wandered over to the corner and sat down, placing the script carefully beside me and hugging my knees to my chest.

L spoke briefly with someone, then pocketed the phone. "The lobby is aware, but we are between floors. We might be here a while."

To my irritation, L crouched down against the wall beside me, balancing on the balls of his bare feet. "No escape attempt through the air ducts?"

I sighed wearily and buried my face in my knees. "I'm too tired."

"Then how shall we pass the time?"

I focused on the steady expansion and contraction of my lungs, breathing in through my nose. "Do you know any stories?" I joked.

L was quiet for a moment. _"To Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominated the whole of her sex."_

I nearly choked. "I was kidding."

"I have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works memorized." L offered.

I shifted, bringing my knees down and tucking them next to me, leaning my head back and shutting my eyes. "Do what you want." I said with a shrug. "I'm taking a nap."

Strangely, the thought of sleeping did not frighten me like it usually would. Here, in the dark with L, there were no red eyes or cackling laughter following me.

Even Mikal was absent.

 _Don't think too hard about it, Sydney._ I made myself comfortable.

After a moment, L continued. _"It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind."_

Already I felt my body sinking into the elevator floor. L's voice was always so soothing.

" _He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen; but, as a lover, he would have placed himself in a false position."_

My mind drifted along the cadence of L's words in the dark. _Did he read Sherlock Holmes when he was younger? He's quoted it before. I wonder if that's why he wanted to become a detective._

" _He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer–excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and actions."_

 _Like velvet._ I thought as sleep started to overtake me. _His voice is like smoke and velvet._

" _But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusion into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might…"_

L's voice trailed away as my head rolled sideways onto something soft. I was already fast asleep.

 **L**

When Penny leaned her head against his shoulder - L made himself very still. He could hear his own pulse, and wondered if she could hear it too.

But when he looked down at her, her lashes were resting against her cheeks and her chest was rising and falling evenly.

 _She really fell asleep._ He thought in slight amazement.

Then his face softened.

 _She must have been tired._

Penny looked small and delicate compared to him. Especially against the backdrop of a darkened Tokyo, several stories below them.

L's eyes drifted, following the dip in her neck, noting the bump of bandages still wrapped around her arm.

 _Penny certainly leads an exciting life._

Especially considering the amount of action in her files. Car chases, heart attacks, a serial stalker - Penny was a magnate of intrigue. She was fearless.

In direct contrast to his own life. L stayed in his dark rooms, in front of his computer, watching the world happen around him. He solved its mysteries, but experienced very few of his own.

He thought he liked it that way.

But L wondered what life would be like with Penny. Not knowing what she would do next with each day, going on adventures, taking _risks_.

What he'd had with Ambrosine had been twisted. Penny danced around her lies, and seemed broken, but L sensed she was good, deep down.

He'd worked with other criminals before, Wedy and Aiber had proven particularly useful on more than one occasion. From the report he dragged out of Aizawa, Penny was talented.

 _Who would she have been, if Beyond had not ruined her life? Who could she be, if Ambrosine got out of the way?_

Penny kept getting tangled up in L. They were connected, somehow.

L's eyes gravitated down the curve of her torso to the hem of her skirt and her bare legs.

There it was again, that molten flame. This time it was more subtle. It stayed in the base of his stomach, more of a simmer than an overwhelming surge.

 _I don't even know her._

Maybe he wanted to know her.

With difficulty, he forced his gaze to move on. Her socks were bunched up around her ankles, and her shoelaces were untied.

His eyes finally fell to the manuscript on the floor beside her.

Curiously, he reached his arm around her body and picked it up. Penny stirred, but she merely burrowed her cheek deeper into his sleeve and did not wake.

L gently eased back into position and flipped open the script on his knee. His eyes scanned the pages in the dim light.

After a minute, he closed the script and carefully put it back.

 _So, that's the game Ambrosine is playing._

If Ambrosine thought that making L jealous was the way to win his attention she was wrong.

L leaned his head back and looked up, sighing. The moon had shifted, and the rays of light struck the ornamental chandelier, casting white prisms across the ceiling.

 _What does Ambrosine expect me to do?_

To himself, L admitted he did not want to share Penny with anyone, even if it was just acting. And the thought of her in some of those scenes...with another man...

But L didn't have any claim over Penny, he barely knew her, after all. Trying to contain her was like holding a live firecracker in his bare hands.

She was just a...distracting factor. Like the book said. A pretty foil that was interrupting his case. Right now he should be interrogating Misa Amane.

Instead his temptation brought him here, during a blackout, trapped in an elevator.

With her.

And _oh_ , the things L could imagine doing in this elevator with Penny besides sleeping. He'd–

L's phone hummed in his pocket, interrupting his train of thought. He pulled it out and answered quietly. "Yes?"

" _We apologize for the wait, sir. You are a top priority client. Would you like us to ask the elevator technician to bump you to the top of the list?"_

A heavy sigh escaped Penny's lips, drawing L's attention back to her for just a second.

" _Sir?"_

"There is...no rush."

" _Very well, sir."_

L shut the phone. _Best to let her sleep. Just for a little while longer._

 **End of Chapter 59**

I love you guys. Thanks for the incredible support. Ya'll are my favourite peeps on the internet.

I enjoy what I'm writing now. It's fun. Romance is in the air. Drama is aplenty. It doesn't feel like a chore anymore and it's a riot sharing it with you. You guys make all my worries disappear.

I queried an agent the other day. I expect it to be a long process with many rejections. But if anything happens I WILL give you guys the pen name I'll be using for social media/publishing so we can keep in touch.

Forever your faithful fan,

~Satchelle


	11. Kisses Over Eggs

**CHAPTER 60**

 **Kisses Over Eggs**

 **SYDNEY**

Sleep, for the past two months, was the enemy.

I would be chased by snarling dogs nipping at my heels, skeletons wielding swords, swooping vultures with fanged doll heads, and tsunamis of blood.

Sometimes, it would just be me, in Mikal's hospital room again. Except he'd be mummified. His skin was cracked and ashen, shrivelled into a husk. And I couldn't look away.

Once it was Jerry standing over my bed, trying to suffocate me with his cowboy hat. "Sorry, Sydney. But the plot doesn't need you anymore." He'd say with godly indifference, eyes glowing unnaturally yellow in the dark.

This time was different.

It started out like any usual nightmare. I was in the frozen lake, sinking to the bottom.

But it wasn't cold. The water was almost tropical, wrapping me in warmth. And I wasn't choking for air, just calmly staring at the lantern of icy light above.

I was unafraid of the green darkness below me. Normally BB's red eyes would be gigantic, wet beings, waiting in the depths, blinking up at me.

Instead it was just quiet.

Blissfully quiet.

And then there was a voice, calm and sure, telling me to swim. So I did. Kicking one leg, then the other. Up and up, to the flat ceiling of snowy ice.

I stretched my fingers out and when I touched it, the world turned upside down, and I fell onto a thick, fluffy bed of white cotton shirts that smelled like caramel and coconut sweets. I burrowed into them, wishing I could sleep there forever…

 **L**

It was dawn.

An orange sun shimmered over Tokyo's black horizon, slowly dripping light between the compact buildings, setting the world on fire.

The city was eerily still. There were no traffic lights, no yellow squares dotting the skyscrapers, no humming neon signs.

Like the whole city was still in the throes of a lullaby, and did not want to wake up.

As the light crept through the glass, heating up the elevator, Penny's eyes fluttered.

L almost sighed with disappointment. He gently released the strand of her hair that he'd been winding and unwinding around his finger in a comforting, repetitive motion. He let it fall back to her cheek.

Penny blinked once, twice. Her blue eyes were cloudy and unfocused.

"Good morning." L greeted softly.

"Good morning." She yawned, touching the back of her hand to her mouth. Then she frowned. After a moment, her whole body stiffened.

Like a jack rabbit, Penny shot straight up into a sitting position, leaning far away from him. "L?" She said, chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Yes?"

"Why was my head on your lap?"

"Ah. You fell asleep and shifted there in the middle of the night." He explained. "I assumed it was more comfortable."

But For L, the evening had been a vexing exercise in self control.

"Why didn't you wake me?" She asked, horrified.

L liked the way her whole face turned red. "I tried. You are a very deep sleeper."

"No, I am _not!_ I…" Penny stopped, her gaze growing distant. "I...slept through the night?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

"The _whole_ night?"

"Unless there are two sunrises I do not know about, then yes."

Penny frowned. "Oh." She linked her fingers, extended her arms over her head and twisted her hips, looking out the window. "There's still a blackout?"

"Yes. Highly unusual."

L couldn't help staring at the curve of her body as she stretched. Or how her hair was tangled from sleep. Or how her cheek still had the slightest of pattern-imprints from his jeans.

It was like she was _trying_ to torture him.

"However," L cleared his throat, "I have it under good authority the power should return in a few minutes."

Penny was still frowning, lost in thought. "Good...good." She mumbled.

L had spoken to Watari on the phone, who was monitoring Misa Amane and keeping him up to date on the progress of the hydro company.

He had neglected to mention _who_ he was trapped in an elevator with.

On purpose.

L could not remember the last time he lied to Watari, even a lie by omission.

Yet something told him Watari would not be pleased by him neglecting the Kira case, especially at such an urgent junction, to spend time with Penny.

Even more so since Ambrosine's recent return.

Hiding the file was one interference, what else would Watari do if his tolerance was pressed? All in the name of protecting L's heart?

No. Best to keep Penny a secret for now until L knew more. If only he could remember…

Right on cue the chandelier light flickered and the elevator jolted to life.

"Thank goodness." Penny breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, dusting herself off.

L followed suit, ignoring the stiffness in his legs from sitting in the same position all night.

Penny picked up her manuscript and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, not making eye contact with L. The floors quietly _dinged_ past them, one by one. "Well, I guess this is goodb–"

"Would you like to go to breakfast with me?" L interrupted.

She looked up, startled. "I...what?"

L took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "Go to breakfast with me." He said quieter, firmer.

Penny swallowed.

 _I make her nervous._ He thought.

The animal in him, the one inside every man, liked that too.

She tried to brush him off with a weak smile. "I...I'm actually not very hungry so–" Penny's stomach growled loudly, cutting her off.

The elevator doors _dinged_ open.

L stepped out without looking back. "We can take the stairs."

 **SYDNEY**

The hotel kitchen was more than prepared to supply food for their hungry guests despite the power shortage.

Sleepy blackout survivors, like us, had wandered downstairs to the dining room (that felt far too fancy for my liking, with white table cloths and crystal bonsai trees).

The kitchen had started working overtime the moment the power came back on.

The menu featured eggs benedict, belgian waffles, ham delight, freshly cut fruit, tiny croissants, muffins and orange mimosas.

Everything was top-shelf quality, and a far cry from the greasy IHOPS of New York that I was used to.

L ordered two of everything and attentive servers in crisp, white button-ups whisked around us in a whirlwind.

It was a mountain of food, but L only touched his coffee. "Eat." He said, watching me from over the rim of his cup.

My hunger was like a fist in my stomach, twisting up my intestines. But I couldn't bring myself to do more than nibble.

 _Is this another game? A new interrogation?_

I shuffled in my seat across from L, scratching at the flaky crust of my miniature croissant, feeling thoroughly awkward.

"You've lost weight." L said between sips.

"I've been busy."

I glanced up at L with a suspicious squint, who was now picking raisins off his own muffin like he was defusing a bomb.

 _So...not an interrogation._

 _Is this...a date?_

"You are staring at me again." L said quietly without looking up.

I quickly returned my attention to the mangled croissant on my plate. "I'm not the only one staring at you." I muttered out of the corner of my mouth.

Which was true.

Even the guests still wearing their pajamas gave him odd looks.

The way he crouched in his chair, the way he picked up the menu with only two fingers and his elbow perched high above his head, the way he stacked the marmalade packets...

L really stood out at breakfast.

"I am sorry if this comes as a surprise, but some of them are looking at _you_ , not me." L clarified, sniffing what must have been a particularly offensive raisin and flicking it away with the rest.

My cheeks reddened. He was right. I was used to blending in with a crowd, transforming like a chameleon whenever I needed to disappear. Now I stood out like a lighthouse on a foggy night.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm internet famous now." I said, trying to brush it off.

"A thief who likes being the centre of attention, how unusual."

I pointed my finger at the manuscript on the table. "Not a thief anymore." I corrected.

"As soon as we walked in here you pin-pointed the wealthiest customer in the room, the location of their wallet, and three escape routes." L replied without skipping a beat.

He didn't even look up from his de-raisined muffin.

I blinked. "Force of habit."

L carefully tore a triangular piece from the muffin and popped it in his mouth. "I am sure."

"You're analyzing me again." I replied, semi-mockingly.

"I am always analyzing."

"Find anything interesting?" I said, almost like a dare.

L looked up.

Instantly, I regretted challenging him.

His dark eyes caught my grey and held them. He leaned forward, bracing his elbow on the table, and pressed the flat of his thumb into his bottom lip.

I felt the full intensity of his stare press down on me.

 _I hate when he does this. It's like being put under a microscope._

"Just that your freckles are reminiscent of Irish ancestry, or perhaps Welsh." He said quietly, barely moving his lips. "And that your accent is interesting."

"What accent? I don't have an accent." I frowned.

Actually, I had no clue what I sounded like. I knew (or assumed) we were speaking Japanese, but everything sounded English to my ears.

"The most obvious trait is the heaviness of a lower New York accent. Specifically Queens or Bronx influence. But your undertones seem French based."

"It was my first language." I mumbled, surprised he could tell all that by ear. "I'm sure that sounds rather ridiculous in Japan."

"On the contrary, your voice is very provocative."

I inhaled, my breath catching in my throat.

 _L thinks MY voice is provocative? ME? HE'S the one who sounds like what would happen if an English cello god and an Italian painter had a baby!_

Satisfied, L leaned back in his chair and swept his thumb from his lips. "If a compliment that innocent embarrasses you, I am afraid you will have a hard time acting out your script."

"What? Why?"

L nodded to it.

I grabbed the manuscript and flipped it open, skimming the pages.

The more I read, the more my face burned. I wished I could hide under the table, away from L's gaze.

It was a romantic crime drama, heavy on the romance. Including two intimate scenes without most of my clothing.

The idea of undressing in front of a room of cameras was far beyond what I expected to have to do this early on in my acting career.

"My agent didn't mention any of this." I rasped, my throat suddenly dry. I slowly closed the script, the letters swimming in front of me. "You read it when I was sleeping?" I accused.

"Some of it." L admitted.

"That was very rude of you."

"You look rather red. Do you need a glass of water?"

 _He's teasing me._

"No."

 _Why is he teasing me?_

"You are upset." L asked slowly.

"No." I frowned. "No. It's just...I…" I ran my fingers through my hair, staring into space.

I paused.

 _He doesn't remember me. I'm a stranger to him._

Which meant we did not know each other well enough for me to have _this_ conversation with the likes of L.

"Nevermind. I'm a professional. It'll be cake-walk, I've kissed men before." I waved my hand dismissively in the air.

 _Ok. I've kissed three...and sure, one is six feet under, one was Light (which doesn't count because he was in the middle of trying to murder me) and the last has amnesia...not a GREAT track record, but–_

Beyond's red eyes burst into my mind. As if angry I'd let that sick moment slip my memory, even for a second.

His cracked, bitten lips had been sandpaper dry and tasted of blood. His breath had been rotten. His tongue had been slimy, like a leech.

Beyond had ordered a kiss in exchange for the investigator's life. _It wasn't like I had a choice._

I fell into silence.

 _Does it count if a man stole a kiss from me?_

I gazed with distaste at the eggs on my plate, stomach churning. I no longer felt like eating.

"There was more than just kissing in the script." L noted.

"Yeah? What's it to you?" I snapped.

L bent his thumb and rested his chin on the knuckle. "You can always refuse the role." He pushed.

"Since I'm not a _thief_ anymore I can't turn down paying work."

L's mouth twitched. "So if _I_ were to pay you to act out those scenes for me personally, in private, would you?"

I almost swallowed my tongue. "I...what... _NO!"_

"Why not? It is the same thing, for the same money." L challenged, but his voice had grown even quieter.

"It is definitely NOT the same thing!"

Now all I could think about were those scenes - but instead of some actor, the role was replaced by L.

 _L, shirtless, pants unbuttoned, reaching his hand around my neck and–_

I picked up a fork and started stabbing at my bacon, suddenly completely absorbed by my plate.

Maybe kissing wasn't my expertise.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, L." _Or why._ "But I can't be purchased."

 _Focus on the bacon. On the bacon. The bacon..._

"Ah, I've insulted you."

"Yes. I'm an _actress._ Not an escort. So you can keep your money." I shoved the bacon in my mouth.

 _Oh…_

The maple bacon was a parade of flavour and made my mouth water. I could have cried.

 _Who needs men and kissing when you have bacon?_ I thought, tearing greedily into another piece.

"I would never try to _buy_ you." L said, leaning forward, his voice lowering, as if the words were just for me.

As if to say he could win me instead. _Earn me._

My heart sped up. _Missing file or not, L is certainly taking this game far._

My chewing slowed. I looked sideways at him. "Good." I replied, lifting my nose. "You couldn't afford me anyways."

Something flashed behind L's eyes, and I got the distinct feeling I was sitting across from a carnivore.

I gulped. "We're spending far too much time on me and my love life." I said quickly, trying to change the subject. "How about you? Any women in your life?"

L blinked. He opened his mouth, but before he could answer a sharp voice rang over the din of the restaurant.

"Ellanor! Thank goodness! I have been trying to call you all night. I thought I'd stop by your suite on my way to the office. But here you are!" She laughed.

Ms. Renaux, wearing a cream skirt-suit, burgundy leather heels and hair held up in a side-bun with a pearl clip, cleared the room in only a few long-legged steps.

She stopped beside our table and looked between us.

Her expression changed, just slightly, almost shriveling, as it settled on L.

I could have died.

I knew what this looked like.

Me, in the same clothes as the night before, hair a mess, eating breakfast with a strange man.

 _It looks like we slept together!_

"Who's this?" She asked, eyes fixated on L, her voice slightly more sheer.

I wished I could disappear.

"This is my…my _friend_." I coughed.

L was acting weird. He seemed to have frozen in place, staring straight ahead, almost as if he was pretending Ms. Renaux didn't exist at all.

"I'm sorry." I interjected quickly, tilting my head and casting L a confused look. "My phone was dead and with the blackout…"

"Of course. I completely understand." Ms. Renaux was still gazing straight at L.

My eyes flicked back and forth between the two.

Slowly, very slowly, Ms. Renaux turned to face me. She smiled a broad smile. "Change of plans." She handed me a business card. "Instead of the office, come to my private penthouse. I'll be there this afternoon. We can discuss the role then in a more... _relaxed_ setting."

"Sure!" I said quickly. "Absolutely."

L's fingers seemed to tighten around his coffee cup.

Ms. Renaux leaned forward with a nod of her head. "A pleasure meeting your... _friend_." She purred, still smiling.

I watched her go (along with other breakfast eaters, who had quickly smoothed their hair and hid their slippers when they noticed her presence).

Once she was gone, I turned back to L and hissed. "You didn't have to be so rude." I snatched up my script and jumped from my seat. "Thank you for breakfast, but I have to go."

I spun on my heel to leave, but L's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

My escape halted.

L rose, for once to his full height.

His chest pressed against my back, and he leaned over my shoulder, so I could feel his breath in my ear. "Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?" He asked quietly.

Guests were staring at us, but L didn't seem to care.

I hardly cared either. They all faded away into the background.

So much so that I did not see the woman in the cream skirt suit, loitering on the sidewalk, watching from just outside the restaurant's window.

I did not see that L was looking right at her, not at me.

That he was staking a claim.

"Come back to my room." He whispered.

My body shook.

Where was this coming from? What part of amnesia changed L so completely? Never in a million years would I think to hear those words from the likes of L.

But oh, how I'd imagined them.

 _L..._ I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply through my nose. _Get yourself under control, Sydney._ Carefully, I pulled my arm away from his grip.

I looked up at him. "I'm old fashioned." I stated simply, trying to keep my expression neutral, then walked away, leaving L alone in the middle of the restaurant.

Once I was on the sidewalk and around the corner, well out of sight, I leaned against the building's brick wall and nearly collapsed, my knees weak.

 _Whew._

I had almost accepted the offer.

 _He's a dead man walking._ I reminded myself. _This road only leads to more hurt. I must be going crazy._

Or L was casting a spell on me.

 **L**

The phone call came the moment Penny left the hotel.

This time L expected it. He answered immediately, already marching back to his room.

"Don't talk." He demanded. "You will refer her to a colleague. You will give her a glowing reference. You are to return to France on the next plane out of Tokyo."

He rode the elevator to the top floor.

" _I don't think you're in a position to negotiate, dear."_

"You do not want to go to war with me, Ambrosine." L said, his voice dangerously quiet. "I am not in the mood."

" _I'm still not sure what you see in her. She must be a freak in bed. Perhaps I'll find out this afternoon?"_ She chuckled.

"I mean it, Ambrosine."

" _So do I. Drop the little salope and come back with me to France."_

"No."

She tutted her tongue. _"I like this new you. Jealous. Easy to anger. Defending the weak. What happened to my cold, heartless lover who enjoyed inflicting pain?"_

"Ambrosine–"

" _I look forward to playing with her. Don't worry...I'll keep in touch."_

"Ambro–"

 _Click._

The elevator doors opened.

Watari stood in the hallway, waiting patiently on the other side, checking the time on his pocket watch. "Good to finally see you this morning, sir." He closed the watch and tucked it in his pocket. "There is a matter we need to discuss."

 **SYDNEY**

 _Don't think about L. You've got work to do._

In the next hour, I went to the bank and cashed out my cheque.

I had just enough to buy a phone charger, a change of clothes (simple green shorts and a white 'I Heart Tokyo' t-shirt from a tourist stand), an instant-ramen meal and a single night in a run-down motel.

After that I was back to square one.

 _I hope this movie thing pans out fast._ I thought. _Or I'll be sleeping under a bridge tomorrow._

It was already past noon, and my meeting with Ms. Renaux was looming. Having hardly reviewed my script yet, I speed-showered in the motel room.

The water ran too hot and the soap was rough on my skin, but I felt like a million bucks.

After stepping out of the tub, I froze, clutching the towel to my chest, dripping water onto the tile.

I was not alone.

"What are you doing here?" I squeaked.

Mikal had braced himself in the doorway, gazing at me cooly.

My heart sank all the way to my feet.

This Mikal wasn't young or sickly. He looked like he did when he was in his prime. All muscles and jaw and boxing varsity jacket.

Mikal leaned forward in the doorway so his nose was an inch from mine. "He's _not_ a better kisser than me." He said softly.

I could smell him. Sandalwood. He was wearing sandalwood cologne, like he did that first night we were...

"You're dead." I replied, my lips trembling, tightening my towel with shaking fingers. "I didn't have the nightmare last night. I'm not crazy anymore. I'm not broken."

Defiant, I decided to walk right through him, but instead I ran into a _very_ solid chest. I bounced back, shocked.

 _What sort of delusion is this?_ I thought, heart racing.

Sighing, Mikal pressed the flat of his hand against my shoulder and, with very little effort, guided my back against the bathroom wall.

Again, I tried to push past him. _He's not real. He's just a figment of your imagination._ But my bare feet slipped uselessly on the wet floor.

Mikal towered over me, resting both forearms above my head, blocking me from the exit.

He even cast a shadow.

"I can't just hand you over to him without a fight." He murmured, brushing a strand of hair from my face. His fingers lingered on my cheek.

I shut my eyes tightly. "I'm not crazy. I'm not broken. I'm not crazy. I'm not broken." I chanted under my breath.

His thumb found my bottom lip and my voice faltered. He lifted my chin up, forcing me to look at him.

I could count every eyelash. See every line in his face. Every strand of hair wound in his dreads.

 _Sandalwood. Sandalwood mixed with steam..._

My eyes widened. "Wait a minute. You're–"

"Finally." He bent down and kissed me, slowly at first, but then deeper, pressing his jaw into mine.

The kiss of a starved man.

My legs went weak.

 _M-Mikal?_

 **End of Chapter 60**

Life update in the bio - guess who got a twitter account?

(Also, hot damn, L. It's getting steamy over breakfast eggs. And Sydney might be walking into a trap. And who knows what's going on with Mikal. Is he a vision? I guess we'll find out next chapter!)

PS: No, that was not the fabled shower scene.

~Satchelle


	12. Haunted Hearts

**Chapter 61**

 **Haunted Hearts**

 **L**

"The girl has become a distraction." Watari said, one hand placed cordially on L's armchair.

L ignored him, staring at the wall of televisions, rewinding the tapes to see if he missed anything crucial with Misa Amane's interrogation.

She was far more resilient than L expected.

If she stayed true to her statement, Kira might just slip through his fingers, all because of her misplaced loyalty.

 _Would she really rather be executed than cooperate? In the name of love?_

It irritated him.

He would much rather be with Penny. Alone.

Instead she was with Ambrosine, who was bound to dig her claws in even deeper.

L desired to explain he was happy to pay her way. That she didn't need to work. But the last time he offered her charity he ended up offending her.

His mind wandered, hypothesizing if all Canadians were so stubborn and proud - or just the French ones.

He bit the inside of his cheek.

And she rejected his proposition too.

" _I'm old fashioned."_

He knew she felt something too, the air was thick and charged between them. But she was holding herself back.

 _She wants me to remember her._

The familiar fog returned behind his eyes, followed by the usual headache. He couldn't recall her at all before waking up in that hospital.

For now, she was still just _Penny._

Her real name was lost.

 _I should inquire with Canadian census records. Maybe I missed something..._

Watari had yet to recognize his foul mood. He was still reciting his speech. It was eloquent and (very obviously) practiced beforehand.

"The _world_ is watching. _Waiting_ for you to solve the greatest mystery history has ever seen. To _rescue_ them from tyranny."

L said nothing, expecting Watari to eventually talk himself out. He returned his attention to the screen.

Misa was asking to see Light again. _Perhaps I should bring him here too._ L considered, then thought better. _No._ _Light must know this makes him look guilty._

L was willing to bet that Light would involve himself on his own, without him needing to lift a finger.

Watari had barely stopped for breath. "This is your masterpiece. Your Fifth Symphony. This is how you will be remembered."

 _How I will be remembered…?_

"There is _always_ a case, Watari." He said quietly.

Watari blinked behind his thin spectacles. The second half of his speech hovering on his tongue. He cleared his throat. "Pardon, sir?"

L paused the screen and set down the remote. "There is always a mystery. A murder. A stolen painting."

"Yes, and there must always be an _L_." Watari huffed in reply, trying to recover from his surprise. "To maintain order, peace–"

"I am unhappy."

Watari stiffened.

L was so quiet that the buzzing from the televisions filled the empty air in the room, stretching it out.

"I have noticed it more, lately." L continued. "I am...alone."

"You have me."

"You know it is not the same."

"Then we will find you company. Another woman. Any woman. Not this one."

"Why not this one?"

"She is not good enough for you."

L looked over his shoulder at Watari, unsurprised. _There it is._

"She's a pickpocket." Watari made a face, sniffing. "A common thief."

"I thought you liked her."

"I do. But your interest is not merely recreational, is it?"

L stared at him for a moment. "You seem to think I require your approval."

Watari's lips thinned.

L stood up and faced him. "I used to feel nothing." He said. " _Nothing_. Just boredom. Only the next puzzle would fill the emptiness, and once it was solved the boredom came back."

Watari's moustache twitched, though he kept his face plain.

"I might have lost my memory, but now I...I _feel_ things. When I look at her, when I'm with her. She is _never_ boring."

For L, saying the words out loud only solidified them as truth.

Something happened to him. Something changed him. If only he could remember what it was…

L had no way of remembering his months spent in the desert. Of training to capture the fabric of the universe and ripping it open with just a thought.

He could not remember stalking the infinite shelves in the library, reading endless stories.

How he came across his own story, and realized his death was soon. Too soon.

That he took a walk, a long walk, and sat down in the sand and looked up at the night sky and all he could think was…

He _missed_ her.

Missed her conversation, her jesting. He even missed her flaws, her recklessness and her inexperience.

She gave him _fun._

No, L couldn't remember any of that.

There was an empty pocket left behind where the fun had been, a hole in his chest, like a candle that was left out in the rain and been snuffed out.

A missing spark.

And L, although he did not know what it was called, wanted it back.

"She is going to hurt you." Watari said calmly.

L froze.

"She doesn't feel as strongly as you do."

"I do not need her to." L said stiffly.

"You will." Watari said, almost sadly. "You will throw this case away and chase her around and when she cannot return your affection...she will break your heart. And the world will suffer."

"You do not _know_ –"

"You are _good_ , my boy. Too good. You're instinct is to save her. To _fix_ her. But girls like that can't _be_ fixed. She was broken a long time ago. She won't change for you."

"I am not asking her to change."

 _I've changed._ L thought.

Watari took a deep, shuddering breath, as if opening a locked window to let in a breeze, disturbing the dust and cobwebs. "She will hate you, my boy."

"Why?"

"Because you look like _him."_

A pause. For just a heartbeat. "That is not my fault. Penny has never mentioned it as a problem before."

"What do you think will happen if you take her to bed? In a dark room? The girl already suffers from nightmares after what Beyond did to her."

 _She does?_ This was news to him. _She slept just fine in the elevator._

Was that her reluctance? Did she resent him for driving Beyond mad, and sending him directly into her path? Was she...afraid of him?

If Light Yagami was his reflection, opposite in almost every way, Beyond was his shadow. They were cut from the same vine, but Beyond turned away from the sun and rotted.

Were those rotten seeds planted in Penny? Festering, eating away at her? Her weight loss, now nightmares...

 _No. Beyond is dead. I ended it. He can't hurt her anymore._

 _I'm not like him._

"What I may or may not do in the dark with Penny is not your concern." L said coldly.

They stood only a meter across from each other, but L had never felt further apart from his mentor.

Watari had always guided him. Encouraged his abilities instead of stifling them. Protected him from the enemies he created.

But this was going too far. Watari was wrong.

"I picked up the pieces during your last romantic disaster." Watari continued. "I am not trying to _cage_ _you._ I am trying to protect you from the same fall out."

"Ambrosine was different."

 _I was different...back then._

"You are correct. The actress at least had good breeding. You've gone and picked up a stray mutt."

L's arm tensed. He wanted to hit him.

But Watari was the closest thing he had to a father.

The sudden emotion shocked him, and L choked it back.

This was not like him. Flashes of anger. Simmering jealousy. Affection that sang from his soul.

He didn't know what to do with these new feelings. He didn't know how to handle them.

L felt like he was a marble statue slowly cracking. A carefully built shell that was crumbling away, piece by piece.

He didn't know what was underneath.

He was frightened to find out.

Watari saw it too, and was satisfied. Validated.

 _He goaded me on purpose._ L realized. The anger returned, but this time it was a cold glacial breeze that cooled the fire inside.

 _Watari is playing games._

"She is already bringing you down." Watari said, pleased. "Cast her aside and focus on what matters. Returning justice to the world."

"I can do both."

"Then why does Kira still walk free? Why is Light Yagami not behind bars?"

"I could be wrong."

"You're never wrong."

"I have to be sure."

"And wasting time acting like a love sick teenager is supposed to help?"

"You cannot control this part of my life." L spoke quietly, afraid if he raised his voice any louder he would be unable to hold back. "If she hurts me that is my business. I am not a child anymore."

Before Watari could say another word, L strode past him, slamming the door on the way out.

But his mentor's words followed him as he left the hotel.

 _She will hurt you. She is a criminal. She will hate you. She is broken._

 _You remind her of him._

 **SYDNEY**

Mikal came up for air to look at me briefly, eyes glazed over but intense. Two dark pools with amber flecks.

A pair of storm clouds.

"You are a very difficult Canadian to find."

I started to shake.

Possibly because I was only wearing a towel, and the bathroom was getting chilly.

Or that my dead boyfriend was kissing me.

Probably both.

I kept staring at him. Trying to find the seams. The cracks in the illusion. Like the fake Mikal from BB's nightmares.

But there were no smoke and mirrors.

"I've gone mad." I whispered, and slowly my back slid down the wall. I sat down, arms limp at my sides, feet tucked under my thighs.

What a relief.

Finally accepting it felt like a burden off my shoulders.

This entire Death Note story, from the very beginning, was in my head. I'd gone schizo. Maybe it runs in the family.

I was probably in a comfortable NY institution right now, surrounded by doctors and padded pillows.

Or, if Uncle cheaped out, maybe I was living in a box somewhere. Barking at people passing my alleyway. Eating out of trash cans.

Either way. There was no explaining this one. I couldn't justify it anymore.

"I'm not in an anime." I said dumbly. "I must have snapped after you died. This was the last show I watched. It's all some kind of escapist delusion to run away from my problems." I was nodding as I said it.

This, for once, makes sense.

Mikal is still dead.

A hot, rich, super-genius, mysterious anime character _isn't_ into me.

And I'm crazy.

"Crazy. Totally crazy." I started laughing, or maybe I was crying. Tears were running down my face. I couldn't tell which.

"You've had a hard time." Mikal crouched down, resting his wrists on his knees.

"So hard." I said, still smiling, still crying. "I missed you so much."

"I'm sorry that happened. He shouldn't have led you on when he had a bad heart. That was selfish of him."

I ran my arm across my wet nose, sniffing. "Him?"

He reached up and tucked a strand of wet hair behind my ear. "Yeah. The other Mikal."

Other...Mikal?

"You should listen to that Traitor more. He said dimensions _and_ timelines, Sydney." He cocked his head and grinned. "Then again, studying wasn't exactly your thing, was it?"

Shifted.

The air shifted, like two panes of glass sliding over each other.

He _was_ different.

Where Mikal had withered, this man was strong. His cheeks were not sunken in. His eyes were not faded. He was older. Not by much. Maybe a year or two. This was not someone who suffered hospital visits and constant chest pain.

This would have been Mikal with a healthy heart. If he never got sick. If he'd been allowed to live.

To become a man.

"You're not my Mikal?" I ask, but I already know, and the panes of glass are spider-webbing apart.

I see the cracks.

This hurts. This was painful to see. This was teasing me with 'what could have beens.'

This was unfair.

He ignores my question. "I've been stuck between gates for _ages_. I used you as an anchor but you've been so distracted it was hard pushing past the barrier. Those Shinigami _really_ want to keep us out. Makes you wonder what they're hiding."

I have no idea what he's talking about.

I told him that.

He laughed. "I'm here to take you home."

Home.

Where was home, anyway?

Not a little house with a green roof off a snowy road.

Not someone else's dilapidated trailer park, where six other foster kids roamed around like wild dogs.

Not uncle's flat, where I slept on a too small couch.

And not L's hotel room.

Definitely not there.

I pushed myself off the cold tile, my skin sticking slightly to the wet floor, clutching my towel tightly to my body.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

Mikal followed suit and stood up.

"All in good time. They've closed the gate again but I just need a little longer and I should be able to–"

I held my hand up. "Did Jerry send you?"

Mikal scowled. "Definitely not. He unplugged me in a few timelines. I'm not on speaking terms with him."

"So...so you're from a parallel...something. Somewhere. And you...travel like...like them."

Like L.

"Not exactly. Had to steal this ability. Took a long time. Haven't worked out _all_ the kinks yet. But if we get stuck in an upside down dimension for a few hundred years, who cares?" He brushed my cheek, fingers lingering. "We'll be together. That's what matters."

My hand snapped up, stopping him.

The puppy-love adoration in Mikal's eyes flickered.

"Are there...other me's?" My brow furrowed as I tried to knit this information together.

Mikal's expression darkened, just for a moment, before sadness washed through and drowned out all other emotion.

"There used to be." He said, turning my hand over, running his thumb gently over my palm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I yanked my hand back.

Mikal's jaw tightened. "This isn't what I was expecting." He said slowly. "What's with the twenty questions? You should be head over heels right now. You should be happy to see me."

"You're not my Mikal." I repeated quietly.

Firmly.

"And you're not exactly my Sydney either. If you were we'd be making love on the bathroom floor right now. But I can't be picky anymore. You're the last one."

I blinked.

The last one?

I could feel it. The questions. The mystery. Sucking me back in. This had to be Jerry meddling. It had to be.

More heartache. More pain. Nothing good could come of this.

Do not be his puppet.

"I'm getting my life on track. I moved on." I raised my chin proudly. "I even went on a date."

Two dates, if L's impromptu breakfast counted.

The memory of his warm breath on my neck returned, and a blush crept up my cheeks.

It definitely counted.

"A date?" Mikal looked taken aback. "With who? Not _him_." He groaned. "Sydney, he's a cartoon."

"If you haven't noticed, we're all cartoons right now. You get used to it." I replied coldly.

But I had seen L in other dimensions, in the flesh. He was a lot more than pigments on a page.

The anger in Mikal's face surged back. "Was he getting fresh with you?"

It was such an unusual expression to see on him. Mikal rarely got angry. Mikal didn't get jealous.

Not my Mikal.

I swallowed. "Frankly it isn't any of your business. I don't know you." I lifted my nose and shoved past him, gathering my clothes off the floor.

I gestured to the door.

"What? You can change in front of me, Sydney. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

My face turned red again.

Mikal raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did you not...have we not...?"

"Not. Your. Business." I growled through clenched teeth.

But Mikal was grinning cheekily. "Sorry, tough to keep timelines sorted." He leaned forward casually. "I'm happy to help fix that, if you want."

This Mikal was getting on my nerves.

"I'm not interested in a replacement. Mikal is dead and you're just some pretender. I don't care if you share the same face. Now get _out_ of my motel room before I make you."

He tilted his head to the side, looking me up and down. "You really think you could make me?" He asked in disbelief.

"You taught me how to box." I snapped. "Or...he did."

I'm not thinking straight. Mikal is dead. Mikal is dead. Mikal is–

"Yeah. But you look half-starved."

I flared my nostrils, embarrassed. "Just...go."

He stared at me for a long moment. "I'm not going anywhere, Sydney. You might be different than mine. Less...experienced."

He let the implication hang in the air until I was red all the way to my toes.

"But that doesn't bother me. I love you. I can wait. You'll see things my way soon enough." He turned his head to the side, as if listening for something. "Damn. The connection is about to break. Don't worry. I'll be back."

And before I could stop him, he leaned forward and kissed me on the nose.

Like steam, his body wobbled, then faded away.

Leaving the scent of sandalwood behind.

I was ready to fall apart. Ready for my heart to explode and the tears to come.

But I must have been getting used to this insanity. Because all I felt was numb.

My phone beeped.

 _You're late. ~ A_

I cursed. I had forgotten about Ms. Renaux!

I put my clothes on at a break-neck speed, tripping out the front door.

"You don't have time to fall apart." I reassured myself, hurrying across the motel parking lot. "You have work to do."

Maybe if I ignored the insanity it would go away.

Ignored Jerry, and Mikal and Light and Death Gods and Beyond's ghost and...L.

 _Don't think about L. It's just a...a crush! Yeah. Just a silly, stupid crush._ _Remember - he's a dead man walking. Jerry is wrong. You can't save him, just like you couldn't save Mikal. The REAL Mikal. L will only hurt you in the end._

I steeled my heart.

I couldn't let L break it.

Not again.

 **JERRY**

"What are you doing, Jerry?"

The bright screen of an old arcade cabinet turned Jerry's face into a kaleidoscope of lights.

The cabinet mystically defied the need for a plug or a socket, as both it and Jerry were floating on a giant rubber duck in the middle of the Pacific ocean.

He pounded the buttons and leaned against the joystick enthusiastically, biting his bottom lip. He wore pineapple swim trunks and giant yellow sunglasses.

"Don't distract me, Monk!" Jerry smashed the red button with his thumb. "I'm trying to crash Tokyo's main hydro line and it's a LOT harder than it looks."

"You can't _force_ them to fall in love." Monk protested.

Monk was wearing a costume he'd stolen off the set of Giligan's Island, complete with a red sweater and white sun hat, which seemed appropriate for the tropical weather. (Although it clashed with his nose rings.)

"Decades of romantic comedies prove you wrong."

"Well, you can't force me to watch!" Monk stomped his foot.

(Unfortunately, it only caused the rubber duck to SQUEAK, and was far less impactful than Monk was hoping for.)

"But I need a witness!"

"WHY?"

Jerry cursed. "Great. I lost. I would have kept them in that elevator for a week if it meant–"

"JERRY."

Jerry didn't turn around, but he hunched over and braced his hands on the cabinet's shelf. After a moment, he spoke. "I'm getting my hat back."

The waves lapped against the rubber ducky.

"I know...It's a long shot." Jerry took off his glasses and slumped against the cabinet. "But it's my last shot. There's no one else."

"You sent hundreds of fangirls to–"

"That was a shotgun spray approach and obviously didn't work. We're lucky we got their sparks back when Beyond died. No. This has to be surgical. I can't trip at the finish line."

"I'm begging you, stop torturing this girl. You killed her family, her soulmate–"

"I disconnected one tiny cord–"

"That was attached to the boy's heart!"

Jerry scoffed. "Details."

"Think of the cost. This isn't worth your humanity."

"You don't get it." Jerry said bitterly. "None of you. The universe is on a set of tracks. It hits all the same stations along the way and it all ends up in the same place. I'm making a _new_ story. I'm liberating–"

"How long have you been trying?" Monk asked quietly. "How many Sydneys have you gone through?"

Jerry didn't reply.

"How _many?"_

The waves crashed against the duck a little harder, swaying it back and forth more violently. Grey clouds rolled in, darkening the skies.

"She's the last one."

A gentle rain pattered down on their heads. The arcade cabinet sparked and shorted out.

Jerry raised his hand. "Before you say _anything_ \- it wasn't me."

"Explain yourself, or I will tell the other five where you are and let them deal with you."

"I have scouted all her timelines. Sometimes she falls down the stairs, or chokes on a grape, or her Uncle hit her too hard." Jerry started listing them on his fingers. "She gets run over by the New York city transit so many times I'm half certain someone is keeping score–"

Monk pinched his nose. "Focus."

"Sorry, not important. What _is_ important is that Sydney _always_ dies. Whether she stays in Canada, or in foster care, or marries that meddling mathlete - she dies. She never makes it to thirty."

Monk opened his mouth, frowned, then closed it. "That's not possible. You said the only abnormal spark was L Lawliet."

Jerry, sensing a change of heart, jumped on it.

"They are tied together. And not by me. Two people with pre-destined, unalterable deaths? It isn't a coincidence."

"What are you saying?"

A storm rolled in, and lightning forked over the two immortal men standing on the rubber ducky.

"I'm saying they have to save each other."

 **End of Chapter 61**

A small Christmas present for my Fanfiction family. Joy to the fandom!

~Satchelle

PS: Special dedications to everyone keeping track of the plot. You're my heroes.

(PSS: Wrote a final update for the bio with my contact handle. All future updates will likely be on twitter if you want to keep track of what I'm up to. Cheers!)


	13. The Return of the Investigator

**Chapter 62**

 **The Return of the Investigator**

The investigator watched the Krispy kid leave the motel from the coffee shop across the street, and carefully marked the time in his notebook.

He left cash on the table and followed with his hands in his pockets, keeping at least a block of distance between them.

She caught the train to Ginza, then made her way to the tallest glass condo building on the hill.

The investigator whistled. It was new construction, those were multi-million dollar units, easy.

He half expected her to sneak her way in, but the doorman bowed and let her enter willingly.

Damn. A doorman meant he was out of luck.

He settled on a bus bench, noting the address and to look up a list of condo residents later. But his intuition said the kid was meeting that posh blonde woman from earlier.

He had a small page of known associates now, which included actual police officers he knew for a _fact_ were working on the Kira investigation. Including the Yagamis.

Considering he met her in the aftermath of _two_ Kira attacks, he wasn't surprised to see her involved.

The rest he couldn't quite put together.

A gaggle of senior students: one was an Ashworth (of course the little thief would befriend an Ashworth, his spit was worth its weight in gold), another was a peppy Namikawa girl (who was also made of money, though the investigator had always suspected the Namikawas were tied to the Yakuza, even if he couldn't prove it).

There was this blonde retired actress, who had a clean background check and, as the investigator was learning about the people the kid surrounded herself with, an outrageous fortune as well.

A purple cat. Can't forget the cat. Which would be unusual by itself, except when a hitman tried to stab the kid in a shopping mall (and before the investigator could intervene) - a purple cat poofed out of nowhere, and then poofed both itself and the assaulter away.

The kid leads an exciting, mystical life. Yet she acted like it was just another day of the week.

Until that moment, he couldn't be quite sure he didn't imagine the whole thing. But even _he_ couldn't make up apparating cats. That was too ridiculous.

However, her most interesting associate (just a bar above the purple cat) was the man at the Peninsula hotel - who looked a near carbon copy of Beyond Birthday.

When the investigator first saw him, the memories of that night at Tokyo Bay flooded back so viscerally he almost drew his gun.

Thankfully, it only took seconds to realize they were different people. This associate was clearly sane, and seemed to be some kind of lover (though the kid rejected him over breakfast, which was so fantastic the investigator was tempted to break his cover to cheer. Go kid.)

And, though the man looked very different from a few months ago, when he was more tan and had longer, wilder hair - the investigator was semi-certain he was her rescuer on the rooftop. Which meant he was far stronger than he looked.

He could only be _semi-certain_ because there was no information anywhere about him. He wasn't on any of the reports. There was no attached name or photo or fingerprints, he simply didn't exist as far as the Tokyo police were concerned.

The uncanny resemblance meant he could have been Beyond Birthday's twin brother. But records reported that Beyond was an orphan and only child, raised in the prestigious Whammy House.

The orphanage was squeaky clean, _except_ for one incident where a boy set himself on fire and died. There was only a single newspaper article about it, forgotten in an old microfilm clipping. The investigator had to special order from England - Someone tried to bury it.

Which meant there was more to it than just a suicide attempt.

What he found even _more_ interesting is that Beyond Birthday faked a suicide in the same method, by having a fanatic light themselves on fire in his place to be arrested by Naomi Misora, way back in L.A, many years later.

Almost like he was trying to send a message. Make a point.

But to who?

It was all connected.

This is why a notebook was crucial, he thought. Keeping track of this nonsense was a full-time job.

For now, he simply titled the messy-haired man 'Ghost'.

It was a cover-up. From way higher than the investigator's pay grade. They basically shredded his old notebook. And when he wouldn't keep his mouth shut - they put him on sabbatical.

'Take a mental health break. You need a vacation. Old trauma rearing its head, yada yada.'

Unheard of. This was Japan. What self-respecting man takes a vacation?

No. This was definitely a conspiracy. One that revolved around both Kira and the Krispy kid. Covering up the fact that Beyond Birthday was magic. Maybe not _only_ Beyond Birthday either. No one could explain how Kira was killing his victims.

Maybe he was magic too.

It was maddening. And _no one_ but the investigator was paying any attention.

Except…

That wasn't true...was it?

The investigator blinked, his focus narrowing on another man only a few feet away, also pretending to wait for the bus.

Coffee coloured hair stuck out from under a plain hoodie, and two intelligent eyes gazed quietly up at the hillcourt building.

Like a puzzle fitting into place, the investigator realized this man had been there all day. Always in the background - at the cafe in the corner table, the train station one car behind, and now here.

He snuck a sideways glance, studying his face.

Not just any man.

The Yagami kid.

Interesting.

Why was Yagami's son following the Krispy girl?

She had spent a few nights at his house, of course. But he assumed that was because Soichiro Yagami was working on the Kira case. Otherwise she and the Yagami boy appeared completely unconnected.

Or so he thought.

He pocketed his notebook, stood up and ambled closer. He casually took out a cigarette and clicked his lighter a few times while pretending to read the map on the side of the bus shelter.

"Damn piece of junk." He tossed the lighter in the trash bin. "Hey, man, you got a light?"

Yagami shook his head. "Sorry, I don't smoke." He spoke absentmindedly, eyes still pinned on the condo doors.

"Shame." He placed the cigarette back in its case. "Jee. Where _is_ this bus? Never on time, are they? Makes you wonder what our tax dollars are for."

Whoops. Pushed a bit too far. Now the Yagami kid was looking at him with new suspicion

"Where you headed?" The investigator met his gaze. "Maybe we could pool on a cab."

"No thanks."

As they stared at each other, the bus pulled up.

The investigator waited, and so did Yagami, as a stream of people got on and off the bus.

But they didn't.

"Who are you?" Yagami asked, voice quiet.

"Apparently _,_ I'm not the only guy tailing her highness. What do you want with the kid?"

Yagami's face was calm.

Way too calm.

"She's an ex. She has some possessions I'm hoping to have returned."

"Right, and that's why you've been stalking her instead of asking for these 'possessions' back? If you're going to lie at least try a little harder."

"If _I'm_ a stalker so are you. Maybe I should ask what a middle-aged man in a trench coat is doing following an innocent young woman around?" He accused coldly.

Because she hangs out with wizard serial killers who can appear and disappear into thin air and I'd like to know why the police are trying to cover up the existence of Harry Potter's evil cousin.

"She owes my boss a lot of money."

Yagami looked back up at the condo building. "If you're going to lie at least try a little harder."

"Funny."

"I'm going away for a while. Weeks, probably months." Yagami murmured, more to himself than to the investigator. "I was hoping I'd catch her doing it again before then." He shrugged. "Oh well. The universe is full of mysteries, isn't it?"

Doing what?

Does he know?

Yagami held out his hand. "Haruto Watanabe."

He lied.

Lied about his name.

Was it that unusual? They've met under suspicious circumstances. He could just be being cautious.

Then why offer a fake name in the first place?

So he can get mine.

The investigator didn't return the greeting, and Yagami lowered his hand. "Smart, aren't you?" He said, arching his brow. "Happy stalking. I hope we don't meet again."

He walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

The investigator shuddered, trying to shake the chills from his body.

Chief Yagami - your kid is creepy.

This was definitely going in the notebook.

As he scribbled some more, Krispy exited the building.

Wearing a red dress.

The memory came back, of her soaked and cold and dead, wearing that terrible dress Beyond dressed her up in, like a doll.

And another memory swam to the surface, of another girl's cold face…

Don't think about that.

He watched her from the shadow of the bus shelter.

She didn't seem comfortable wearing it either, she kept tugging on the skirt and shuffling in her heels, her expression troubled.

Why would she agree to wear it then? Was it that fancy French woman's doing?

The Krispy kid exhaled and shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. She seemed to be counting, taking deep breaths.

Immediately his heart went out to her.

She may be at the centre of his unearthed magical conspiracy, but the investigator felt certain she didn't want any part of it. She seemed to be trying to run away.

The _kid's_ the one who needs a damn sabbatical.

He made a mental note to dive deeper into the Whammy House, see if he could find out more about Ghost and his connection to Beyond Birthday.

As for Light Yagami...maybe it was time he confronted Soichiro directly. Or someone on his team. He knew Aizawa was working the Kira beat. That greenhorn, Matsuda something, had signed up for it too.

He watched as the kid rummaged in a sparkly purse and read a tiny, crumpled piece of paper. She checked her phone, then seemed to make a decision and head North.

He tucked his notebook away.

For now, he would remain the Canadian girl's shadow.

 **End of Chapter 62**

A/N: Tiny chapter for you guys. It's my birthday today and I wanted to post something while I work on the next (much longer) chapter. :)

Going through massive revisions for the book right now too. It wasn't good enough and although it hurts like hell I'm making it SO much better. It's more complex than I thought it would be...which I'm just now realizing I'm saying this to _you_ guys...who have been reading my complicated Death Note fic...for ten _years_...ok, clearly I have a problem. Maybe whacky complicated plots are my M.O lol.

It is officially a soft sci-fi/medieval mix and my main character is _such_ an adorable badass - I love her as much as Sydney. I'm giving it a one to two year timeline. I will finish revisions this year, hopefully VERY soon, and attempt to query it again. I queried too soon before the revisions and burned the book already with some agencies, so if no one wants it then it's going online as a self-published work (where it will probably die an anonymous death, but at least I can feel proud of it).

If someone wants to rep me then it gets shopped to publishers which will likely add another year at least to the timeline. But I'll keep you posted.

Thanks as always for reading and reviewing/messaging me your thoughts. I'm trying to reply to people more (I know I always say that), lower my walls a bit yada yada. Hope your 2020s are going to be killer.

Happy Lunar New Year, guys.

~Satch


	14. Girl Talk

**Chapter 63**

 **Girl Talk**

 **SYDNEY**

When Renaux answered the door in a skimpy, silk kimono and a white fur scarf hanging off her shoulders, I took it in stride.

Sydney Pennypocket might have laughed.

Ella Krispy would have wondered if she was in the wrong penthouse.

But Ellanor _Krispois_ was an eccentric, genius inventor slash wannabe actress who partied with rock stars and wasn't surprised by anything anymore.

So I strutted past my agent, trying to look as fun and dignified as one can in a five dollar t-shirt bought off a rack on the sidewalk.

Renaux held a glass of wine in one hand and was texting fiercely with the other (somehow, she possessed some sort of magic that let her text without even looking at her phone.)

Her nails, still wet from polish and gleaming a dark red, click-clacked at the screen with lightning speed.

" _So_ good to see you, darling. Come in, make yourself at home. What's mine is yours."

What was Renaux's apparently was the entire modern-art department of the Home Shopping Channel.

Her fireplace was a floor to ceiling, dark onyx triangle with a gold grate. Her sofas were a fine, white leather constructed into distinctly _un-sofalike_ shapes. And there was artwork of _her_ (almost _all_ scantily clad) _everywhere._

 _Huh._ I politely studied one piece of green and yellow pop-art on the wall of Renaux re-enacting the famous Marilyn Monroe skirt scene.

"You like them? All from the glory days. Back when everyone wants to take your picture." Renaux wandered to a side bar on wheels for a refill.

"They're great. You must be very...proud."

"Yes," she squinted at me from over her glass, pursing her lips, "but you seem more the conservative type."

I meandered to her fireplace, and noticed the rug under her coffee table was a skinned bear.

 _If you added glasses and a vest he'd look just like one of Jerry's ex-traveller friends…_

I cleared my throat and forced myself to drag my eyes away from the (familiar looking) dead throw-rug. "I'm still getting used to the spot-light."

"I want you to _capitalize_ the spot-light, darling. Being comfortable in your own skin shows confidence. The public _love_ confidence. You want them to love you." She set her phone down. "A debut like this movie is essential to get right. It can make or break your whole career."

"Actually, that's why I'm here. I wanted to talk about the movie. There are some scenes–"

"Drink?" She asked, already pouring me a cup.

"Oh, I don't think I should…"

She pushed the glass into my hand. "Relax. Tell me," she sat down on the not-a-sofa and I followed suit, taking the tiniest sip possible to be polite, "what was your childhood like?"

I choked on the wine. "What? Why?"

"I need to _know_ you, Ellanor. If I'm to help you blossom from this _conservative_ _caterpillar_ into the _beau butterfly_ that you truly are, I need to get inside your head. All great acting is pulled from life experience."

I hesitated, staring down at my warped reflection in the glass. "What if I don't have the... _right_ life experience?" I asked.

"Ah." She pointed her finger in the air. "You mean the romance."

Blinking, I looked up, surprised. "Actually, yeah. How'd you know?"

Renaux threw her head back and laughed, knocking her golden hair over her shoulder. "My dear, you're oozing with child-like innocence. No wonder your breakfast date kept throwing himself at you. Men are like wolves, they can smell a virgin from a mile away."

My face reddened. I took a deep gulp this time. "It wasn't a date."

 _And L is not a wolf._

Although doubt nagged at the back of my mind.

He didn't seem shy _at all,_ like I once thought. Instead, L came across as...private. Almost secretive. Like he kept that side of his life firmly _outside_ of work.

 _The guy could date hundreds of women and I'd never know...he could date hundreds of MEN and I'd never know…_

I felt Renaux's green eyes squinting at me _._

I pretended to be fascinated with her bear rug.

(I swear the thing was judging me, as if I had _personally_ shot and skinned it.)

She crossed her legs, dabbing her bare toes in the air, also painted red. "Be careful who you consort with. They might end up being _dragged_ into the public eye. Rumours can be such an _awful_ thing. Reputations are as fragile as spun sugar. A little heat and _poof."_

A frown overtook my face. I hadn't considered that. Every phone was a camera these days.

I didn't want to expose L.

"So." She quickly changed topics. "Which scene in particular?" She asked, all smiles again.

"Um, the one on page 76? Where the two get stuck sharing a hotel room during a rainstorm and…the one on 123 in the..."

I blushed.

"Sauna?" Her smile widened. "Yes?"

"Well, I'm not sure I can _do_ that on camera."

Another laugh. "Ellanor, it's just _acting."_

"Oh, I know that. But–"

She leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. "I told you. What you lack isn't talent. It's confidence."

I scoffed.

Out loud.

"Ridiculous." I threw back the rest of the wine. "I'm the closest thing to perfect the world has ever seen."

"But it's an act, isn't it?" She said it so flatly and factually I nearly flinched.

She tightened her grip on my knee, leaning closer, eyes wide.

"I've watched the videos. The partying. The... _extremeness._ You're not loud because you're _loud._ You're loud because you're worried they will forget you. Ignore you. That they'll notice you're shallow and small and desperate for love."

"I'm not…"

She raised her brows.

I could tell, just then, that Renaux saw right through my _Krispois_ alias.

Maybe from the start.

"What is this?" I stood up suddenly. "You offered to be my agent. My acting coach. I don't need or _want_ a psychiatrist."

"You need _true_ confidence. Like this morning. You could have had that man _wrapped_ around your finger." She almost snarled the words out. "Instead you ran away. Asking to be chased. _You should be the wolf."_ She stood up, circling the sofa, dragging her fingers across the back ridge.

The idea of wrapping L around _anything,_ especially _me_ , sent a flurry of activity in my stomach.

"It's not the same as–" I stopped myself. I was going to say lying. " _Acting."_ I swung around the correction.

"The character in this movie knows how to open herself up to heartache. She is unafraid of pain. She knows he may be using her but she throws herself into the fire anyways. She's a heroine." Renaux stopped to look down at me, the fireplace next to us crackled. "Are _you_ a heroine, Ellanor?

I opened my mouth. Then closed it. I had the vague recollection a purple cat once asked me that in a dream. And I couldn't answer then either.

I shrugged helplessly.

 _Too much wine._ I realized too late.

"I don't know. Not with love. I got...I had...I was very lucky to have someone. A long time ago. It was _easy_ then. It just happened. But now men are so confusing. Some more than others. They're so _different_ from each other. I haven't had time to...to...figure it out. I can sing badly on a stage and jump on top of cars but I can't tell a guy I like him. That doesn't feel heroic to me. Maybe if I had my mom to teach me about boys but..."

I stopped to breathe.

That all came pouring out of me like a drunk girl at a house party puking into a toilet.

I touched my fingers lightly to my forehead. I have _got_ to stop embarrassing myself. Ellanor Krispois wouldn't ramble like a lunatic.

And besides...

Never, not _ever_ had I let myself miss my mom. Not like this. I barely knew the woman. Just blurry images from my childhood.

Maybe it was the _idea_ of a mother that I missed. Foster care didn't exactly give me good role models. I'd always had trouble making female friends. And Mikal had been my only boyfriend and he pursued _me. He made it simple._

L was anything but simple.

I had no idea what I was doing. The concept of _seducing_ someone like the script called for was completely an alien concept.

Renaux spoke up, softening. "Falling in love is not something you can fake, Ellanor, especially on camera. This movie will be a challenge. But I can help you."

She reached down and picked a piece of fluff off my shoulder. "The first thing I can tell you is that all men are _not_ different. In fact, in one respect they are _very_ much the same."

"...They are?"

The corners of her mouth stretched from ear to ear, and her eyes flashed. "Let me show you what men want."

Renaux led me to her walk-in closet (after refilling our wine glasses), which was basically an enormous room that could have fit my uncle's apartment inside it twice over.

She sat me down on a lounger and began looking through her clothes, calling over her shoulder which movie she wore them in and who designed them and bla bla bla.

I took the moment to frown again into my wine, wondering why I had just spilled my guts to a stranger.

I felt a lot more at ease around her than I should. Was it the wine? Did Renaux really care about me and if I nailed this role?

Or was she just...acting?

I slowly drank and watched her carefully, but I soon realized I didn't care if she _was_ acting.

There were death gods and serial killers and dimension hopping immortals to worry about.

An overzealous agent out for an easy paycheck by befriending an aspiring actress was low on the villain list, honestly.

What else could Renaux want from me?

She was off script. She wasn't involved with the main cast or Kira.

Renaux's penthouse was probably the safest place in Death Note.

Out of habit I scouted marks (the woman has a lot of jewelry) and escape routes, but I was perfectly content to let Renaux whisk me onto an adventure of romantic acting tips.

Of which she had many, that she discussed at length, while browsing her lingerie drawers and shoe racks.

Always shave your legs. Carry mints. Picture the person you like in place of your co-star (not even going to _unpack_ that right now). Don't over-act. It's all in the eyes.

Etc. Know your lines. Etc. Don't sleep with any of the camera crew. Etc. Have you heard of eyebrow waxing because you could really use it. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Finally, she emerged from her wardrobe with a hanger in hand.

"Put this on."

My stomach flipped.

She held a sequin dress, cut open in the leg, that sparkled red in the light.

"I…"

Water. Water was rising. The entirety of Tokyo Bay came crashing into Renaux's closet, pushing me under, and Beyond was watching me, his red eyes shimmering above the surface–

 _I can't._

Face white, I tightened my lips and shook my head.

She watched me steadily. "You must be brave, dear."

I inhaled.

Was I doomed to be afraid of the colour red forever? Would the ghost of Beyond haunt me until the day I died?

 _Well. Are you a heroine, or aren't you?_

 _Who is Ellanor Krispois?_

"Fine."

A few minutes of finagling later (I was a lot shorter than Renaux) I stepped out from behind a curtain in the dress, high heels and an updo.

Renaux was busy doing something on her phone, but when she looked up, she froze.

"Well?" I tugged on the shoulder strap. "Am I supposed to feel like a butterfly now?"

She swept to her feet and spun me around by my shoulders, pointing me to a long mirror.

"Look at yourself. Really _look._ What do you see?"

"A duck in a dress."

She gently shook my shoulders. "I see a _woman."_

I tilted my head at her, as if to say _you can't be serious._

"When you go to set - and I want you to wear this dress when you do - everyone is going to _stare_ at you. Do not fear it. You may not have money, or status, or respect - but you will have _power."_

She almost spat the words, and I had a feeling it came more from a personal experience in Renaux's past than just general advice.

"You are worried about embarrassing yourself. Or giving too much away. Don't be. _Embrace_ this. Give them _everything_." She straightened. "Make them choke on it."

I bit my lip, tilting my head. I just didn't see what she saw. Mikal might have. L at least _pretends_ to.

But Renaux had hit the nail on the head when she said I put on all these personas and played all these characters to create a wall.

Now, to expose myself on camera so intimately, for love - even if it was fake movie love - after losing Mikal...and soon to lose L...

"Strength is one thing we women can understand. We endure." Renaux said. "Don't give up. Go to the set. Meet your co-star. Try the scene. You may surprise yourself."

I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and shakily. "Ok. You're right."

 _If I can fight off demon dogs and giant scorpions, then I can pretend to kiss a guy for some silly movie._

I smiled. For real.

"Thank you. You've been...amazing."

"I know, darling. That's why I charge such a high rate. Now go. They want us on set at midnight. Get some beauty sleep. _Don't_ wrinkle the dress, please. It's one of a kind."

I thanked her again.

"Oh, and one more thing." She inspected her nails. "Don't have sex."

"I...excuse me?"

"Trust me. You want tension. If you hold yourself back in your personal life, that longing will shine through on camera. The shoot is only for a few months. You can handle that, right?"

"...I guess? If you think it's best. Not that I was planning to-"

"Great." She ushered me into the elevator and hit the button. "À tout à l'heure!" She waved goodbye.

 _Uh..._

I tugged at the dress.

It wasn't until half-way the ride down, alone with my thoughts, that I heard a faint, crazed laugh.

I whipped around.

But no one was there.

No Beyond.

 _Stop it. It's just a dress. It's just a colour. Red is not unlucky. It's Valentines and lipstick and roses._

 _It isn't blood or eyes or flames or…_

 _...or strawberries._

I swallowed, tightening my hands into fists and shutting my eyes, counting to ten as I tried to ignore the insane laughter and the feeling of Beyond's boot on my chest as he kicked me into the water.

 _Be brave._

 _Be brave. Be brave. Be brave._

 _Be…_

The elevator dinged open.

I hurried off it, forehead sweating, the laughter chasing me as I threw myself out the doors.

I gulped down the cool air.

 _What am I going to do? How can I kiss a guy on camera?_

Not when all I can think about is either L giving me butterflies or Beyond stabbing his hand through my chest.

 _Renaux is wrong. I can't do this. I can't…_

My phone beeped.

I flipped it open.

 _'I am at your motel room._

 _~L'_

 _ **End of Chapter 63**_

Shorter than I intended. But for some reason this was a PAIN to write so I feel relieved finishing at least one scene.

I've taken a slight vacay from social media. I posted my picture and...along came the creeps. Yup. Didn't expect that. I know blocking is a thing but it just felt...super discouraging.

I'll go back. Maybe. But I've logged out and haven't posted in a while. I'm rethinking if it's necessary this early in my writing career.

I love connecting with you guys and keeping in touch and posting fun gifs. But man twitter can be...yikes. So if you're trying to chat I'm sorry. I'll try to reply to pms and reviews on here instead for now.

Hope you liked the chapter. And oof. Even I felt that cliffhanger. Can't help being a little evil.

Love

~Satch


	15. All Aboard the Fluff Train

**Chapter 64**

 **All Aboard the Fluff Train**

 _Riiiiiing._

 _"Yes?"_

"You sound incredibly innocent for a stalker," I accused.

 _"You're not that difficult to find,"_ L said, and I envisioned him lazily examining his nails as he spoke. _"The public seems fascinated by your rise to stardom - paparazzi have been selling intel for some time."_

"What?" Alarmed, I looked over my shoulder into the crowd.

 _I'm being followed?_

My heartbeat quickened. I hadn't even noticed.

 _I've been too distracted._

 _"You're lucky I've been paying to remove that information before it reaches the internet. It wasn't hard to get into your room."_

"Lucky is not the word I would use," I said dryly, "wait...you're _in_ my room?"

"Yes, your motel manager takes bribes. You should really consider safer lodgings elsewhere."

 _L is in my motel room. L is in my motel room. L is..._

 _Oh god! I left dirty laundry on the floor, trash in the microwave, and the bed isn't even made...the place is a total mess!_

I slapped my forehead, covering my eyes in embarrassment.

"Just...get out."

 _"I want to speak with you,"_ he said quietly.

My heartbeat drummed hard in my chest. I swallowed and closed my eyes, shaking my head. "You _are_ speaking to me."

 _"In person."_

"I...I have work! The movie shoots at midnight. I only have a few hours to memorize my lines, all the blocking, and–"

 _"Let me help you."_

"You've...helped me plenty."

Guilt swirled in my stomach.

He had already fed me, clothed me, put a roof over my head, backed me up - and even killed for me.

I turned L Lawliet into a murderer.

"I can do this myself," I said firmly

 _"I have no doubt. But I am free and bored and if you do not arrive promptly I will order something unsightly on pay per view and charge it to your account."_

"Th-that's blackmail!"

 _"See you soon."_

 _Click._

I stared dumbfounded at my phone.

What...just happened?

 **30 MINUTES LATER**

I don't think I've ever run so fast in heels in my life.

In addition, racing at speed across town in a tight, red dress was not exactly dignifying.

After arriving, sweaty and huffing, hair loose and missing one shoe, I fumbled with my card key, cursing.

 _I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll-!_

I burst into my motel room, immediately tripped, and fell chin-first onto the carpet.

My vision spun for a moment. I stared into a row of wobbly, purple carpet fibres as my will to live rapidly depleted.

 _I might as well die here._ I thought.

 _Here lies Sydney, killed from wounded pride._

Sobbing on the inside, I looked up–

L wasn't here.

Standing, I readjusted my dress and hair, cleared my throat, and tried my best to regain what little dignity I had left.

I shut the door and pressed my forehead against it, palm lingering.

 _Of course he isn't here. This is some kind of prank._

For some reason, I felt a tiny bit disappointed. _I'm such an idiot,_ I thought, rubbing my wrist over my eyes.

 _I bet he and the whole task force are laughing behind my back and–_

The sound of running water rumbled in the background, and warm steam permeated the air.

And singing.

A man was singing.

My eyes swung to the bathroom door.

It was closed. The light was on.

Slowly, I crept towards the door and pressed my ear against it.

It was definitely L, there was no mistaking it.

L is taking a shower six feet away from me.

L is not wearing clothes.

L is singing in the shower.

And he sounds _amazing_.

My brain stopped computing all other thoughts. I might have forgotten how to breathe entirely.

I closed my eyes and listened to his voice, calm falling over me. _Wow._ It sounded like some kind of sad lullaby.

A tap creaked and the shower switched off.

I flung myself back from the door, heart exploding, as if I'd just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

Or more like a rabbit under a hawk's shadow.

 _What do I do?_ I gripped my temples in my palms, panicking. _Where do I go?_ I looked left and right. _The door!_ I swung around. _I'll just leave and come back in a bit and he'll never know–_

A cloud of steam wooshed out behind me as the bathroom door opened.

I froze. Slowly, I turned my head around, looked down...then up...

Then slowly turned forward again.

L is in a towel.

 _Just_ a towel.

 _Call me a zombie because I'm dying over and over today._

My whole body turned as red as my dress.

"Um, hello," I squeaked nervously. _Why is my voice so high pitched?!_

 _Play it cool, Sydney. Breathe. You see sexy guys soaking wet all the time-oh-who-are-you-kidding-_

"Hello," he said softly, "sorry, hot day out."

"It is...definitely hot! Ha..."

A pause.

"GAH. I didn't mean it like that!" I covered my eyes with my hands. "You get changed! I won't look, I swear!"

"It's fine. I prefer to air dry." He sat down on the bed, ruffling another, smaller towel in his hair.

Water droplets lined his chin and collar, falling down to–

I wrenched my eyes back up.

 _I am sooo going straight to hell. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars._

L draped the small towel across the back of his neck. He reached forward, grabbed my hand, and pulled me over to close the distance.

I stumbled and braced my hand against his chest.

Our lips were an inch away.

I took a shallow inhale.

"I could never love another," he breathed, "I will wait until the stars die and the seas freeze over, if only to walk across the darkness and be together once more, there is only you."

He moved closer–

"Your line," he whispered.

I blinked.

 _Wha...what?_

"Act two, scene eleven?" He straightened. "You said you needed to learn the script?"

One, two, three, four...

Ding!

"Oh! Oh, right! Of course! The script. That was a line from the script. Obviously. I knew that!"

 _Dead. Forget six feet under. Just scatter my remains down a storm drain with the rest of the trash._

"Um," I fumbled for the script, scrambling to find the right page, and sat down on the bed as I quickly poured through it again, "are you sure you want to help me with this?"

"You said you start at midnight? That isn't much time. It will be easier with a partner. Besides, I already memorized it in the elevator."

 _Of course you did, you stupid child prodigy._

I can't _believe_ it's come to this, I thought.

Seeing L in a towel completely drained my will to fight. I'm a weak, weak woman.

Best to speed through the lines and get him BACK in pants and OUT of my life.

"Okay, so then I say..."

I paled.

I can't say THAT to L.

He sat down beside me, reading it curiously over my shoulder.

He smelled of fresh soap, and my eyes drifted again...

"You know!" I jumped up. "I could use some coffee! Want some coffee? I will get us coffee! Coffee coming right up!"

I charged across the room to the tiny kettle, switched it on and fumbled with the instant packet.

It required every ounce of willpower to keep my eyes off of L and my thoughts out of the gutter.

I paced back and forth, waiting for the kettle to heat up, wringing my hands together, trying to do fractions in my head.

After several minutes of this, L finally spoke.

"You forgot the water."

 _You idiot. You give Canadians a bad name._

"You're telling me this _now?"_ I accused.

"It was funnier that way."

I snatched up the kettle and hurried to the bathroom sink.

L reached his hand out as I raced past. "Careful, there's water on the flo–"

"Ah!" My legs flew up in the air, like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel, and I crashed backwards.

My back slammed against something that was both hard and soft at the same time, and I fell to the floor in a tangled heap.

Magically, I hadn't cracked my skull against the tile.

No, not magic.

L had caught me.

I was in his lap, his body supported with one hand splayed behind him, the other wrapped around my waist.

Water from his hair dripped down the back of my neck.

We were both breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "You're shaking."

I remembered being here before.

In a dream. Or maybe another world. On a bed. With him. And we were going to...

Ambrosine's words cut through my thoughts.

 _Don't have–_

Oh god.

 _Say something. Say words. Remember words? One word. Any word._

"P...pizza."

The silence stretched between us.

 _Smooth, Sydney._

"I'm, uh, hungry! Script reading would be easier on a full stomach. I'm going to order pizza. You like pineapple?"

A pause.

"No."

I jumped to my feet, beet red, and made my way to the phone. "Well too bad I'm ordering Hawaiian and you're paying."

As I dialed for an operator, I thought I could hear an audible sigh from L.

Did he feel disappointed too?

The desire I was feeling just moments before turned against me, squirming uncomfortably in my stomach.

 _What are we doing?_

 _What does L really want?_

 _What...what do I want?_

I wound the phone cord around my finger and bit my lip.

"Oh! Hello, yes, I would like to order a Hawaiian..."

By the time pizza had arrived, L was dressed in jeans and a white shirt (that was only _slightly_ wet) and we were going through the script a third time.

I was bombing. Bad.

L was picking the pineapple, with obvious aversion, off his slices.

I had barely nibbled mine.

The butterflies in my stomach had taken up all available space.

Reading love lines in front of, let alone _to_ L was harder than I thought it would be.

But if I couldn't manage this, how was I _ever_ going to manage in front of a fleet of cameras and crew members?

 _I'm doomed. I should just become a hermit and live off the land._

"You need to relax," L said.

"I know."

L's pointers were always correct and helpful.

It was so irritating.

"Don't leave me," I read out loud, knowing my voice sounded robotic, "I can't bare to be alone again."

"You should eat."

I took a giant bite of pizza and read the line again. "Dwon't weave me," I said through a mouth full of pineapple and cheese, "I can't ware to be awone again."

I swallowed. "I'm terrible."

"Very."

I threw the script on the bed and stood up, pacing.

"Is this something you even want?" He asked, tilting his head.

"I don't know!" I snapped. "But a girl like me doesn't get opportunities like this every day!" I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling it back, frustrated. "You wouldn't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Being poor! Dumpster diving for dinner! Not having a bed! And there's an easy way out but I'm trying to do this the _legal_ way and I...I want...I want to actually _earn_ something for once in my life."

L was quiet.

After a moment he finally spoke.

"I see."

He stood up and placed both hands on my shoulders. They felt surprisingly heavy, and planted me firmly in one spot.

"Look at me."

I didn't want to.

But I did.

"I have to go." This time he whispered the line, looking down.

Half his face was in shadow, the other illuminated in a dim, gold glow from the single desk lamp.

There were no cameras or script or anyone else in the whole universe...

Except us.

"Please remember me," he said it with a forlorn smile.

My heart swelled.

I didn't want L to go.

I didn't want him to die.

I reached up and flung my arms around his neck.

He stepped back slightly, but I didn't let go.

I pressed my forehead against his shoulder. "Don't leave me," I begged, voice breaking, "I can't bare to be alone again."

His throat bobbed up and down, and his hand slid to the small of my back. "I…"

L quickly pushed me away, holding me at arms length, surprise written across his face.

"...I forgot my line," he said.

 _Oh._

I punched his shoulder. "Some genius you are." I teased.

The tension lightened.

We looked at each other.

My alarm beeped. "Oh, I have to go. I'm supposed to be on set in an hour."

"Of course."

I paused, glancing back at him. "Thanks. That actually did help. A lot."

"Any time. I have a passion for the arts you know."

A smile played on my lips.

"Well, if you want any help solving mysteries, you know where to find me."

And that is where we left it.

 **L**

We both parted ways, and I watched her disappear, hovering in the motel parking lot.

My hand felt heavy as I dialed Ambrosine's number.

 _"Hello, darling."_

"I do not understand the message."

 _"You already saw the dress? Wow. You work fast."_

"Why make her wear that? Why keep it?"

 _"I'm so happy you remember what I wore the first night we were together. When did you become such a romantic?"_

She laughed.

I gripped my phone a little harder.

 _"Or maybe…"_ Her voice lowered. _"...you remember ripping it off me, mon chéri?"_

"You are poison in a pretty bottle, nothing more."

 _"You sound frustrated, darling. Perhaps you didn't get as far with our_ favourite _virgin as wanted? If you need some help relieving that pressure, I'm always available."_

I hung up.

I shouldn't have called her.

A text from her lit up my phone.

 _'If you want to see pureness corrupted, come to the set.'_

I read the address.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

I looked up to see a tall, muscular boy in a varsity jacket holding flowers.

He looked outraged.

I eyed him carefully, assessing the risk.

"Did you two…? You didn't. If you _touched_ her I'll–"

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else."

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my shoulder and squeezed. "I know _exactly_ who you are. Stay away from my girlfriend."

He swung his fist.

 **End of Chapter 64**

Short and fluffy, just how I like them.

But never fear! STILL not the fated shower scene. That is yet to pass! And there's LOTS more fluff coming down the train tracks very soon.

Hope you and your families are all staying safe with COVID-19 going on. Well wishes from Canada.

Sincerely,

Satch


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